Prepare to enlist
Hurry and register to tour vessels taking part in the Broward Navy Days Fleet Week.
FORT LAUDERDALE — You don’t have to be in the Navy— or the Marines or Coast Guard— to get a taste of life aboard a halfdozen vessels visiting Port Everglades from May 2 to 9 for Fleet Week.
But you do have to make a reservation to tour one of the vessels, and the spots usually fill up quickly.
Reservation registrations will start being accepted online at 8 Friday at broward navy days inc. The Broward Navy Days site also has information about all Fleet Week activities.
The registration period lasts until April 18, but some tours won’t be available by then. Officials expect reservations for a visiting nuclear submarine to be booked up by the end of the weekend.
The USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, the destroyers USS Farragut and USS Cole, and Coast Guard cutters Robert Yered and Dependable will be at the port this year.
Tours of the Bataan will include demonstrations of weapons and equipment by a detachment of Marines assigned to the ship, Fleet Week spokesman J.W. Arnold said.
The name of the nuclear submarine won’t be announced for several weeks for security reasons, Arnold said.
People taking tours will have to clear background checks required by Port Everglades secu.
rity. When making reservations, individuals will have to provide their name, date of birth, place of birth and last four digits of their Social Security number.
Reservations can also be made for groups of up to 20 people, Arnold said. Group background information will be needed for adult members but not for those younger than18, he said.
When making a reservation, people will have to select a single vessel to tour. Arnold said during a weekday tour, it might be possible to tour a second ship depending on the crowds that particular day, but the one-ship rule will be enforced during the heavy weekend traffic.
Fleet Week will include activities in downtown Oakland Park on Saturday, May 7. The events will include an “Iron Chef” style competition for the visiting vessel crewsand an outdoor concert by the Navy Region Southeast Band.
lbarszewski@tribpub.com or 954-356-4556