Special to the Herald
The U.S. Navy is preparing to bring a Navy Week to Savannah March 11-17, as the third Navy Week of the calendar year.
Savannah Navy Week will bring 50 and 75 sailors from across the nation to volunteer throughout the community and discuss why the Navy matters to Savannah. This will be the second Navy Week hosted by Savannah and the surrounding communities. The program last visited Savannah in 2022.
Savannah Navy Week will feature in-person demonstrations, performances, and engagements throughout the week that will include:
• Senior Navy Leaders – Flag officer and senior civilian Navy leaders with ties to Savannah and the surrounding area.
• Namesake Sailors – Sailors serving on USS Georgia (SSGN-729), an Ohio-class submarine and USS Savannah (LCS 28), an Independence-variant littoral combat ship.
• Naval Band Southeast -- Performances and master classes with Navy Musicians.
• Naval History and Heritage Command – Educational presentations and lesson plans about the deep ties between Georgia and the Navy.
• USS Constitution – Demonstrations about the oldest commissioned ship in the Navy.
• Navy Expeditionary Combat Command – Educational STEM presentations and fitness demonstrations by technicians, medics, and divers.
• U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command – Educational presentation on the importance of atmospheric and oceanographic science and the overall value of STEM education to the Navy.
Navy Weeks are the service’s signature outreach program, designed to allow the citizens of Savannah to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. The Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) coordinates Navy Weeks.
"We are thrilled to bring the Navy to Savannah," said NAVCO's director, Cmdr. Anthony Falvo. “Though our Navy is deployed around-the-world and around-the-clock, the Navy Week program allows us to showcase our Navy in places that don’t enjoy an everyday naval presence. Most importantly it affords us the opportunity to highlight our most important asset – the highly skilled men and women of the United States Navy who ensure our warfighting advantage to preserve our American way of life.”
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort to regions without a significant Navy presence, with over 300 Navy Weeks held in more than 95 different U.S. markets. Each year, the program reaches more than 150 million people -- about half the U.S. population.
“Our mission is to connect with the heartbeat of each community and we strive to make a lasting impact on the Sailors, partners and community members,” said NAVCO Navy Week program manager, Lt. Caroline Ready. “We coordinate with corporations, civic and community service organizations, local government, educational institutions, media, and veterans to give the community as many opportunities as possible to engage with their Navy.”
