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Navy Band Northwest is a military Band of the United States Navy is composed of professional navy musicians who operates under the direct control and supervision of Fleet Band Activities and falls under the jurisdiction of Navy Region Northwest. [1] Navy Band Northwest is one of 13 Official Navy Bands located throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, Italy and Japan.
The band's history dates back to the Bremerton Navy Yard Band (formed in 1918) and the 13th Naval District Band (formed 1925). In 1944, a group of sailors formed a band at Naval Air Station Sand Point in Seattle. The band was created in honor of the arrival of the F6F Hellcat Fighter Squadron of Carrier Aircraft Support Unit 7 returning from combat operations in the South Pacific during World War II. The band as a result became known as the "Hellcat Band" .
The 13th Naval District Band was officially commissioned in 1953 at Pier 91. The band moved to Naval Air Station Sand Point in autumn 1970 where its name was changed to Navy Band Northwest and then to Navy Band Seattle. In April 1985, the band moved into Building 30, which was symbolic in that the building was part of the hangar where the Hellcat Band welcomed home the airmen that returned from combat. It was closed in 1995 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, resulting in the band to move across the Puget Sound to a newly inaugurated facility at Naval Submarine Base Bangor in Silverdale in February 1995. [2] It then officially changed its name to Navy Band Northwest on 1 April 1999 as a result of the navy's regionalization initiatives. [3]
The mission of Navy Band Northwest is to provide musical support for official Navy functions and recruiting efforts. The 35 professional musicians in that band can be called upon to perform in various units and formations: Ceremonial/Parade Band, Big Band, Contemporary Entertainment Ensemble, Brass Quintet, and Jazz Combo. From time to time, specialized ensembles such as a Brass or wind ensemble are formed to fulfill a specific performance requirement. In addition to their musical duties, band members carry out all administrative and support functions within the band. [4] One of then more consisting performances it gives is an annual international band concert with the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific, the Band of the 15th Field Regiment (RCA) and the I Corps Band at the Bremerton Performing Arts Center. [5]
It is composed of two Trumpets, French Horn, Trombone and Tuba. Its repertoire includes styles such as classical, dixieland, jazz and contemporary. It is regularly featured at Concerts throughout the Puget Sound in local Navy and civilian communities. [6]
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted use since its establishment in 1891; it has also been known as Navy Yard Puget Sound, Bremerton Navy Yard, and the Bremerton Naval Complex.
Kitsap County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton. The county was formed out of King County and Jefferson County on January 16, 1857, and is named for Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish Tribe. Originally named Slaughter County, it was soon renamed.
USS Snook (SSN-592), a Skipjack-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the common snook, an Atlantic marine fish that is bluish-gray above and silvery below a black lateral line.
Naval Base Kitsap is a U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state, created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor. It is the home base for the Navy’s fleet throughout West Puget Sound, provides base operating services, support for both surface ships and fleet ballistic missile and other nuclear submarines as one of the U.S. Navy's four nuclear shipyards, one of two strategic nuclear weapons facilities, and the only West Coast dry dock capable of handling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and the Navy's largest fuel depot. Naval Base Kitsap is the third-largest Navy base in the U.S.
Naval Station Everett is a military installation located in the city of Everett, Washington, 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle. The naval station, located on the city's waterfront on the northeastern end of Puget Sound, was designed as a homeport for a US Navy carrier strike group and opened in 1994. A separate Navy Support Complex is located in Smokey Point, 11 miles (18 km) north of Everett near Marysville, and houses a commissary, Navy Exchange, a college and other services.
USS Nanigo (YTB-537/YTM-537), a harbor tug of the United States Navy, was laid down on 6 December 1944 by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp., Morris Heights, New York, launched on 27 March 1945; and placed in service on 30 August 1945.
Navy Region Northwest is one of several United States Navy Regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa.
Fleet Band Activities (FBA), formerly the Navy Music Program (NMP), is the central management office for nine active-duty fleet bands of the United States Navy. It is located at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tennessee. FBA has the responsibility of coordinating the assignment and distribution of personnel, equipment and funding to the worldwide activities of navy military bands. It also is responsible for managing the application and audition process for potential navy musicians. Personnel from the FBA work directly with the Bureau of Naval Personnel to meet our musician requirements for the fleet.
The United States Naval Academy Band was officially founded in November 1852. Previously, there had been a band since the founding of the Naval Academy in 1845, consisting of a fifer and a drummer. The band consists of US Navy career musicians. The band is required to blend tradition and change into a wide variety of musical styles.
Naval Station Bremerton is a former station of the United States Navy that was merged with Naval Submarine Base Bangor into Naval Base Kitsap in 2004. Kitsap serves as host command for the Navy's fleet throughout the Pacific Northwest. It is home to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. In addition to performing drydock and overhaul services for active naval vessels, it is also home to an inactive ship facility for several decommissioned warships, including aircraft carriers. Naval Hospital Bremerton is also located aboard the installation as a tenant command.
The United States Seventh Fleet Band is a United States Navy military band in Yokosuka, Japan. It is composed of professional navy musicians and operates under the direct control and supervision of Fleet Band Activities, the official navy music program. It serves aboard the Seventh Fleet flagship, the USS Blue Ridge. It was created upon the renaming of the Southwest Pacific Force on 7 March 1943. The Seventh Fleet Band is today composed of six professional ensembles, all of which have performed for millions of people throughout the Western Pacific Ocean. Countries it has performed in include Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, as well as many other cities and countries of the Far East.
The Puget Sound Navy Museum is an official naval museum located in Bremerton, Washington, United States. The museum is one of the 10 Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. It is located near the Washington State Ferries terminal, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap. According to the museum website, its mission is "collecting, preserving, and interpreting the naval heritage of the Pacific Northwest for the benefit of the U.S. Navy and general public."
The USS Pinola (AT–33) was a Bagaduce-class fleet tug, laid down on 3 March 1919 by Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, launched on the 12 August 1919, and was commissioned on 7 February 1920.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is a large military-industrial complex located in Bremerton, Washington along the north shore of Sinclair Inlet, which opens to Puget Sound. This large shipyard is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length along the shore and over a half-mile in width at its greatest distance across. The shipyard has nearly 1,000 facilities such as shipfitters shops, repair shops, drydocks, piers, cranes, crane rails, railways, and tunnels. In addition to the industrial facilities, supporting structures include: residences for officers and enlisted personnel, recreation facilities, boiler, electrical substations, fuel tanks, medical facilities, and canteens. The historic district is just over a tenth of the entire shipyard, 189 acres of the shipyard's 1,347 acres. Its greatest significance was during the Second World War when it repaired large warships damaged in the Pacific theater. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1992.
The steamship General Frisbie was a wooden two-deck passenger ship built in 1900, named after John B. Frisbie. She was designed for use as a ferry between Vallejo and San Francisco. The steamer was successful in that role and was the fastest ship on the route when she began service. Improved roads, bridges, and automobiles reduced demand for ferry service in the Bay Area, and newer ships were optimized for transporting cars, so General Frisbie was retired in the late 1920s.
The Finnish Navy Band is the official representative band of the Finnish Navy serving from its headquarters in the southwestern coastal city of Turku. The band’s area of responsibility includes Turku and western Finland. The 32-member military band is currently led by two conductors, Lieutenant Commander Petri Junna, and Captain Lieutenant Tero Haikala. Musicians work as part of the Navy Command Finland in the same city they are based in.
The United States Naval Forces Europe Band is the musical component of the United States Naval Forces Europe - Naval Forces Africa, a subordinate command of the United States European Command and United States Africa Command. It acts as the de facto American musical unit for Europe. As a United States Navy band, it is part of the Navy Music Program. Currently stationed in at Naval Support Activity in Naples, Italy, it operates under the direct control and supervision of the Commander of NAVEUR.
I Corps Band or America's First Corps Band is an American military band maintained by the United States Army and is attached to the Army's I Corps in United States Army Forces Command. It is currently the only army band in the Pacific Northwest. It is currently based at Joint Base Lewis–McChord outside of Tacoma, Washington.
The Pacific Fleet Band is a United States Navy military Band that is attached to the United States Pacific Fleet based at Naval Station Pearl Harbor. It performs at civilian/military ceremonies, military parades, and unit/community events. It operates under the direct control and supervision of Fleet Band Activities, the official navy music program. It is alsk under the operational control of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.