During San Francisco’s Fleet Week, warships cruise through the bay, army bands perform for the public and various military branches hold a career fair. People in all corners of the city are distracted from their daily lives when they hear the Blue Angels roar above them, performing high-speed aerial stunts. According to event organizers, this year’s Fleet Week took place from Oct. 7 to Oct. 14 and attracted more than one million participants.
According to an article published by the U.S. Army, Dianne Feinstein, mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988, started the city’s Fleet Week celebration in 1981 to commemorate the country’s sea services such as the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. While only the Navy participated in past celebrations, the Army joined them for the first time this year.
Captain Christopher Counihan is the South Bay Army Recruiting Company Commander and primary organizer of Army participation in San Francisco’s Fleet Week. In the previously mentioned U.S. Army article, he pointed to the Central California Army Recruiting team as one of the main groups helping to put on the event, which serves as a recruitment tool for the military in addition to helping to improve its public image.
In a survey of 50 Urban students and teachers conducted by The Urban Legend, 40% thought Fleet Week should continue. Some cited noise concerns, while others remain enthusiastic about celebrating the military and continuing family traditions during the week.
English Teacher Ana Cecilia Alvarez spoke about how the Blue Angels affect their teaching. “I’m bothered when I’m in the middle of class and I have to stop teaching … because there are these planes flying around,” they said.
Kate Dollard ’27 noted how the planes can be disturbing during Fleet Week. “It’s just hard when you’re trying to go about your daily life and then your entire house is rattled and car alarms are going off [because of the Blue Angels],” she said.
In an article in the Seattle Times, Breck Lebegue, a former Air Force flight surgeon, wrote, “Although jet noise may be the ‘sound of freedom,’ long or repeated exposure to sounds above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss.” The sound from the Blue Angels falls between 100 and 110 decibels. These planes are especially loud compared to commercial planes because they are equipped with features designed to make fighter jets more effective in war.
Lucy Bone ‘26 reflected on the original purpose of the warplanes used during Fleet Week. “The noises that scare us or the maneuvers that impress us might have been the last thing that people across the world ever heard,” she said.
Despite some teachers’ and students’ negative views of Fleet Week, others argue that the week is a time for traditions and connection. “[Fleet Week] brings back a lot of memories and it makes me really happy,” said Olivia Prime ’27. “I definitely bond with my siblings over it.”
Prime feels Fleet Week’s festivities have overshadowed the original meaning of the event. “I don’t really think about the military aspect of it. I just think that it’s a flight show,” she said.
Brody Izuel ’27 spoke about Fleet Week’s unique message to American civilians. “[Fleet Week represents] our achievement as a country. This is our military. These are our fighter jets. This is what we’re capable of,” Izuel said. “For me as a child, and [for] I think many others, it’s really inspirational.”
Right now, there are no plans to end Fleet Week in San Francisco or any other place. “I think that Fleet Week is a reminder that San Francisco still has life in it,” Carl Haidamus ’25 said. “If they stopped Fleet Week, it would reinforce [the] idea of [San Francisco being] a dying city.”
