SEATTLE — A parade of ships sailed into Seattle on Tuesday afternoon, among them the massive vessel the USS Barry.
The missile destroyer was commissioned in 1992 and is one of the ships the public can tour during Seattle Fleet Week, running from Aug. 1-6.
USS Barry was deployed for six years in Yokosuka, Japan. It recently returned to the United States, and is now based out of Naval Station Everett to undergo routine maintenance.
300 sailors and 30 officers are required to operate the military vessel. Their main day-to-day job is to maintain the ship and stand watch.
While deployed, they are sent on different missions, operating ballistic missile defense and anti-air warfare.
“We have a lot of different capabilities where we get to use our tactical knowledge as well for whatever tactical operations we’re assigned from the Navy,” Commanding Officer Adrienne Roseti said.
The tour around USS Barry includes everything top side and guides will go through the weapons on board and the different missions the ship is assigned to.
“We’ll give them the opportunity to see what life is like on a destroyer,” Roseti said
This week’s tour will also include a unique experience inside the ship’s pilot house. This is where the ship is steered and there are other features like the remote console station, which controls the cannons on the destroyer.
Public tours of the USS Barry run Thursday through Sunday at Pier 46 South in Seattle. There are also tours aboard US Coast Guard and Canadian Navy vessels.
You can find the full list of ship tour times here.