The Star Spangled Sailabration
I am not a historian. I'm just a guy from Baltimore. 2012 marks the bicentennial of the war of 1812. I don't recall learning much about that war in school. I have since learned quite a bit and maybe some of it is accurate. On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed the declaration of war against the British. The British didn't like this too much. The Brits had over 600 warships and were the most formidable force in the world at that time. On August 24, 1814 a British force led by Major General Robert Ross occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings. The facilities of the U.S. government, including the White House and U.S. Capitol, were largely destroyed. The Brits then set their sights on Baltimore. This is where the war turned. Baltimore is a pretty tough town, now and then. Try as they might, the Brits couldn't crack the defenses at Ft. McHenry. Francis Scott key, seeing this from a truce ship penned a poem that has since become our national anthem. When the British landed troops, they didn't fare much better. Two hundred years later we celebrated these events with a massive event. The Star Spangled Sailabration took place from June 13th to the 19th. Ships from around the world gathered to mark this date in history. The celebration was capped off by an airshow over Ft. McHenry featuring The United States Navy Blue Angels. The weather was perfect and the historic setting made this a show not to miss. The Blue Angels were joined by the US Navy FA18 Super Hornet Demo Team. The Rhino tore up the skies over Baltimore leaving a lasting impression. When the Blues took to the sky, everything stopped and all eyes were up. Many had never seen the Blue Angels perform and were amazed at the sight of them. The event may not go down in history books like the war of 1812, but the average Baltimorean will never forget the sight of the 6 blue jets streaking over the city.
Story and Photos by Mike Sherba