WHO: The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin.
WHAT: The scheduled setting of the the Francis Scott Key buoy.
WHEN: Monday at 10 a.m.
WHERE: The Coast Guard Yard at 2401 Hawkins Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21226
BALTIMORE — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, a 175-foot buoy tender homeported at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, is scheduled to set the historic Francis Scott Key buoy in the Patapsco River Monday near the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The buoy marks the symbolic spot where the ship carrying Francis Scott Key, the author of "The Star-Spangled Banner," was anchored during the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814. Each year the buoy is set in the spring to mark the historic location of the event and is removed in the fall.
A park ranger from Fort McHenry will join the crew of the cutter James Rankin to provide a narrative of events that occurred that historic day.
Members of the media are invited to get underway aboard the cutter James Rankin or a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay to view the Rankin's crew setting the buoy. The RB-M will depart from the Coast Guard Yard at 10 a.m.
Media interested in attending must contact Coast Guard Public Affairs Detachment Baltimore personnel at 410-576-2541 to make arrangements to get aboard as space is limited. Media should plan to arrive at the yard no later than 9:30 a.m. and should expect to arrive earlier if they wish to interview Coast Guard personnel.