Seafair week is really not just a week, there are activities happening throughout the summer. Take a look at the official Seafair website (www.seafair.com) to find out about all the upcoming events.

This year's Seafair Fleet is comprised of US Navy ships, US Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Naval ships. Some of these vessels will be offering tours during the week including the USS Cleveland (LPD-7) named after Cleveland, Ohio. This is the third ship to carry that name, the Cleveland is among four Austin Class Amphibious Transport Dock style vessels and has been in service since April of 1967. They of course have their own web site (www.cleveland.navy.mil) where you can find lots of statistics as well as history.

The USS MILIUS (DDG 69) is named in honor of Navy pilot Captain Paul L. Milius (1928-1968). While flying on a mission over Laos his aircraft was hit by artillery. Milius remained at the controls of his badly damaged aircraft and ordered his seven crew members to bail out, all of whom were rescued. Just before the aircraft crashed, Commander Milius is believed to have bailed out, but rescuers were unable to locate him. USS MILIUS (www.milius.navy.mil) is the 19th ship in the ARLEIGH BURKE - class of Guided Missile Destroyers and was commissioned November 1996.

The USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) is the reason I decided to look into why some of these ships were named as such. Rear Admiral Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, he attended the Naval Academy and was in command of the USS Sigsbee. On April 14, 1945, near the island of Okinawa, a kamikaze crashed into Sigsbee, damaging her port and starboard engines. Admiral Chung-Hoon, then a Commander, kept the enemy air attack at bay while simultaneously directing the damage control efforts that allowed Sigsbee to make port under her own power. The USS Chung-Hoon (www.chung-hoon.navy.mil) is the 43rd ship in the ARLEIGH BURKE (DDG 51) Class of Aegis guided missile destroyers - the U.S. Navy's most powerful destroyer fleet.

The Coast Guard Cutter FIR (WLB-213) (www.uscg.mil/d13/fir/) is named after one of the original lighthouse tenders built for the Lighthouse Service to resupply lighthouses and lightships, and to service buoys along the Oregon and Washington coasts. The current Fir maintains 160 buoys along our coastline in what is considered some of the most dangerous sea and bar conditions in the world. The crew maintains the motto, “No bar too rough, too tough, Too far”.

As has been in the past, tours of these ships as well as up-close views of the Blue Angels, begin Thursday Aug. 3, 2006 and continue through the weekend. First-come, first-served is the way to board vessels on display at Pier 91. Check here (http://www.seafair.com/x398.asp) for the schedule. The Museum of Flight will be home to the Blue Angels when they’re not screaming across Lake Washington and surrounding areas.