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National Maritime Day 2007
Friday, May 18 to Tuesday, May 22 2007 New London honors National Maritime Day! Marking the day in 1819 that Captain Moses Rogers of New London set sail for England and completed the first transatlantic voyage by steam-powered vessel, a day to honor the US Maritime Service has been proclaimed by every president since Franklin Roosevelt. In addition to a memorial service and ceremony on National Maritime Day itself, a number of New London area organizations have planned festivities throughout the weekend.
National Maritime Day, May 22, 2007
A cannon salute at noon on Tuesday will signal the beginning of the memorial service honoring those who served in the Maritime Service during World War II. Graduates of the US Merchant Marine Academy at Fort Trumbull will be joined by members of the US Navy Armed Guard. All are invited to attend the service, which will be held at Maritime Green (the park near the US Coast Guard Station at Fort Trumbull). Following the service there will be a luncheon at the Conference Center at Fort Trumbull.
At 2:15 PM, a ceremony will be held at Fort Trumbull to re-install one of the original cannon barrels which is returning to the fort after serving as a part of the Civil War memorial at the Bill Library in Ledyard for roughly the past 90 years.
The canon, a 24 pounder flank howitzer cast in 1826, is one of four known to exist that were originally mounted in one of the forts bastions. Memorial Ceremony at Merchant Marine Memorial followed by a luncheon in the Conference Center.
Fort Trumbull Park is open every Wednesday through Sunday, 9 AM to 4 PM, from Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day. The buildings will close on that day for the season, but the park grounds remain open every day of the week throughout the year. During the season, the Gift Shop is open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Noon until 4 PM.
National Maritime Day Weekend, May 18-May 22, 2007
Several events in honor of National Maritime Day are scheduled for this five-day weekend. They begin on Friday evening with Martin Sandler sharing the story of the Resolute at the Custom House Maritime Museum and continue on Saturday with a recreation of the Jibboom Club Parade with band and a Chowda' Festival with live sea music entertainment.
For complete details, see the Thames River Heritage web site. Flyers are available for download with a schedule of Saturday's festivities (PDF, 120 KB) and a map of the parade route (PDF, 300 KB).
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