MEDIA ADVISORY, May 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) --
WHEN: ARRIVES: May 14 at 4pm
PUBLIC TOURS: May 15 and 16
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Penn's Landing Great Plaza
Chestnut St. to Walnut St. at the Delaware River
Philadelphia, PA
WHAT: USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51), a Ticonderoga-class
cruiser homeported in Pascagoula, Miss., is scheduled
to arrive in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, May 14,
2004, in honor of Armed Forces' Day. Gates will moor at
Penn's Landing and will be open for general public
tours throughout the weekend.
Tours of Gates will be given on Saturday, May 15, and
Sunday, May 16, from 10am to 4 pm. All visitors will be
subject to a search similar to what would be
encountered at an airport. No small bags or packages
will be allowed with the exception of purses, nor can
the ship permit strollers or carts of any kind.
Photography will be allowed onboard.
BACKGROUND: Gates is currently deployed and is conducting several
Chief of Naval Operations directed port visits. Gates
previously visited New London, Ct., for the Submarine
Birthday Ball, and will next stop at Annapolis, Md, for
the U.S. Naval Academy graduation.
Prior to conducting these port visits, Gates conducted
counter-drug operations in the Caribbean, apprehending
Jose Battle, an FBI-wanted Miami crime lord, who was on
a nearby cruise ship.
Gates is scheduled to escort the Navy's newest aircraft
carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), to the West Coast
via the Straights of Magellan. Gates and Reagan will
participate in numerous multi-national exercises during
their transit, including a Peruvian anti-submarine
exercise and UNITAS, a South American fleet exercise
that derives its name from the Spanish word for
"unity".
Gates is the fifth ship of the Ticonderoga-class AEGIS
cruiser and is assigned to Destroyer Squadron SIX, and
the Second Fleet. Gates was commissioned on August 22,
1987 at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, and is named
after one of Philadelphia's native sons, the former
Honorable Thomas Sovereign Gates, Jr., who served as
Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense at the
height of the Cold War. Secretary Gates oversaw the
modernization of the U.S. Navy, introducing missiles as
the primary armament on ships. Secretary Gates
graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and spent
most of his life in the Philadelphia business
community. He passed away in 1983.
"Defender of the Republic"
Penn's Landing provides entertainment, festivals and
educational opportunities for families throughout the
year. For more information about this or any other
event at Penn's Landing, visit
www.pennslandingcorp.com.
The Penn's Landing Corporation logo is available at: http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=349