Navy, Coast Guard Open Ships as City Readies Fleet Week Crowds

At an Oct. 5, 2026, press conference opening San Francisco's 45th Fleet Week, Navy and Coast Guard leaders used the stage to promote ship tours, recruitment and year-round disaster readiness. Mayor Daniel Lurie paired the welcome with the city's plan for the crowds: extra Muni service, robotaxi geofences near the waterfront and a text-alert line for emergencies. No votes were taken. The event offered a look at how the city manages one of its biggest annual crowd events.

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• Three ships open for public tours: USS Cape St. George, USS Ashland and Cutter Monroe
• Coast Guard stresses year-round readiness built through joint training with city emergency managers
• City geofences robotaxis in northern neighborhoods to ease waterfront congestion. Operators were not named.
• Extra Muni service on the F Market & Wharves trolley and the 28, 49 and 45 buses
• More than 50 neighborhood concerts. The band challenge has given over $500,000 to school music.

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Sea Services Bring Ships, Sailors and a Recruiting Pitch

Why it matters: Fleet Week is the military's biggest public stage in San Francisco. The admirals used it to reach residents, recruit young people and connect the event to regional disaster readiness.

Where things stand: Rear Adm. David Fanley, Commander, Navy Region Southwest, said the USS Cape St. George is in port. The dock landing ship USS Ashland joins later in the week, and the public can tour both ships. Fanley said the Cape St. George's captain told him more than 99% of his sailors had never visited San Francisco.

Fanley also referred to last year's Fleet Week without explaining what happened:

"Last year, the Navy and Marine Corps had planned to celebrate our own 250th birthday here with you, but events beyond our control changed that plan, and we had spent months developing that," said Fanley.

Rear Adm. Jeff Novak, Commander, Coast Guard District Southwest, said the Coast Guard has 5,000 personnel and family members in the Bay Area. He described a permanent local presence rather than a visiting one.

"We don't just visit San Francisco for Fleet Week. We live here, we work here, and we serve this community 365 days a year," said Novak.

He highlighted the Cutter Monroe, a 418-foot national security cutter that is open for tours. The Monroe is returning from a nearly four-month deployment to the Pacific and Alaska.

Recruiting is the point: Novak said the event is meant to inspire future service members. "It's about a young man or woman looking up at a cutter or seeing an orange helicopter flying over Alcatraz and realizing, I could do that," he said. Lurie said he would swear in young people from San Francisco and across the Bay Area. That ceremony took place after the press conference ended.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The military made no new commitments. Families and visitors get access to three working ships. Navy and Coast Guard recruiters get a large audience of young people. Bay Area emergency agencies get public credit for their joint work with the Coast Guard.

What's next: The USS Ashland arrives later this week. Tours of all three ships continue through Fleet Week.

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City's Crowd Plan: Muni, Robotaxis, Text Alerts

The basics: A geofence is a digital boundary that limits where app-based vehicles, such as driverless cars, can pick up riders or operate.

Why it matters: Fanley said the event would bring "thousands, hopefully tens and hundreds of thousands of people into the city." The city's plan affects residents, commuters and businesses in the northern neighborhoods and along the waterfront.

Where things stand: Lurie said SFMTA is adding service on the F Market & Wharves trolley and the 28, 49 and 45 bus lines. He also described an unusual step with driverless car companies:

"We have worked in close coordination with autonomous vehicle operators to geofence areas in our northern neighborhoods to reduce congestion around the waterfront," said Lurie.

He did not name the operators. He gave no boundaries or hours beyond "northern neighborhoods," and no transit official spoke. The mayor urged visitors to sign up for emergency alerts by texting "Fleet Week SF" to 88877. He noted that the fire chief and sheriff were present. He thanked the Department of Emergency Management, the police, fire and sheriff's departments, SFMTA and Rec and Park.

The readiness argument: Novak credited local partnerships, including Mary Ellen Carroll's emergency management team, the Port, police, fire and the sheriff.

"We train together, we exercise together, and we build trust beforehand so that when the crisis hits, we aren't exchanging business cards at that 2 o'clock in the morning on the tailgate," said Novak.

What wasn't said: Officials gave no staffing numbers or budget figures. Several items in the city's press release did not come up at the podium. These included cable car changes, pick-up and drop-off zones for driverless cars and an Oct. 6 earthquake exercise.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Riders on waterfront and northern routes get added service but should expect crowding. Robotaxi users may find service restricted near the venues. The geofencing deal is a notable case of the city working directly with driverless car companies to manage a crowd, and AV policy watchers will want details.

What's next: Route details are posted at sfmta.com/FleetWeek. Residents may want to ask which companies agreed to the geofence, where it applies and whether the city plans to use it at other large events.

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Concerts, Air Show Pitched as Small-Business Boost

Why it matters: Organizers have spread Fleet Week beyond the waterfront into neighborhoods across the city. City leaders pitched it as a draw for small businesses.

Where things stand: Louis Sluvin, Executive Director, San Francisco Fleet Week Association, outlined the schedule:

• The air show, presented by United, featuring the Blue Angels
• Fleet Fest at Fisherman's Wharf, with a tug-of-war among service members
• The Service and Safety Expo at Pier 27, presented by PG&E
• The Canine Heroes program at Duboce Park
• The High School Band Challenge at the Golden Gate Park bandshell

Fanley noted that the Blue Angels are back after missing last year. He said Navy Band Southwest will play more than 50 concerts in neighborhoods including Richmond, Bayview, West Portal, Noe Valley, Chinatown and Hayes Valley.

"Since it began in 2010, San Francisco Fleet Week has contributed over half a million dollars to Bay Area high school music programs through the High School Band Challenge," said Sluvin.

Lurie urged visitors to explore Presidio Tunnel Tops, Pier 39, the new plaza at Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach. "And every stop people make this week will support our small businesses that make this city so special," he said.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Neighborhood merchants, the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District and corporate sponsors United and PG&E all stand to benefit from the attention. High school music programs remain a direct beneficiary. No one offered an estimate of the event's economic impact.

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Minor Items

• Port history: Mike Martin, Executive Director, Port of San Francisco, said Pier 70, once Union Iron Works, built the cruiser Olympia. He also noted that Piers 35 and 45 served as embarkation points in the Pacific during World War II.
• Port thanks: Martin thanked the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District and acknowledged Port Commissioner Vanessa Hartigan. "To our residents and visitors, welcome to your waterfront," he said.
• Format: The event allowed no questions from reporters. It was emceed by Public Affairs Officer David Cruz and followed by the recruit swearing-in.

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Looking Ahead

The USS Ashland's arrival later this week adds a third ship to the public tours. Details on how the robotaxi geofence is carried out remain the most important open question for residents of the northern neighborhoods.