The United States Navy Memorial will host its annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony on Saturday, April 9th at 1:00 pm Eastern (ET) on Navy Memorial Plaza. A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the beginning of “Navy Memorial 2.0” and the reopening of the Navy Memorial Visitor Center, along with a reception featuring Navy Bean Soup from the White House Mess, will follow. 

The Blessing of the Fleet is a centuries-old tradition that protects sailors from the dangers of the sea. This tradition goes back to ancient times and is meant to safeguard ships and their crew members after an offering is made at the water’s edge.  

Each year, starting in 1987 when it was dedicated, the Navy Memorial brings its outdoor fountains to life with water provided by the U.S. Navy from the Seven Seas and the Great Lakes. This will include water from the Artic recovered by a submarine that will break through the ice as part of the Navy’s Operation ICEX. 

This event will also mark the first time the fountains have been "charged" in three years due to the significant amount of work that has been done, along with the Navy Memorial’s first public event as it comes out of the pandemic. To learn more, visit www.NavyMemorial.org.

Please register below or in the top-right corner of the page to watch the ceremony from home.