USS BANG - SS 385
Sentry of the Seas
Washington, DC - 2021 Tour Schedule Continued NOTE: WE WILL HAVE TO SHOW ID's AND PASS THROUGH SECURITY INCLUDING METAL DETECTORS TO VISIT MOST FEDERAL FACILITIES ON OUR TOURS. ANY METAL ITEMS SHOULD BE LEFT AT THE HOTEL OR ON THE BUS. FOLLOW THIS LINK TO A LIST OF PROHIBITED ITEMS FOR THE CAPITOL BUILDING. SOME OF THE ITEMS ARE OBVIOUS BUT SOME ARE NOT SUCH AS LIQUIDS INCLUDING WATER. THIS LIST SHOULD BE A GOOD GUIDE FOR MOST FEDERAL FACILITIES. Friday, August 27th $ TBD, 9:30 AM Departure to the Washington Navy Yard and the US Capitol Building.
At the Washington Navy Yard we will be able to explore both The National Museum of The US Navy and the Cold War Museum. Admiral Arleigh Burke established the current museum, Building 76, in 1963 to create an American naval history museum comparable to those in Europe. Permanent and temporary exhibitions commemorate the Navy's wartime heroes and battles as well as its peacetime contributions in exploration, diplomacy, space flight, navigation and humanitarian service. Today The U.S. Navy Museum is the only naval museum to chronicle the history of the U.S. Navy from its creation to the present. Artifacts like USS Constitution's fighting top, the world's deepest diving submersible, Trieste, and the khaki uniform of former Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz make The Navy Museum's collection second to none. There are many permanent exhibits including:
Before we depart for the US Capitol Building LUNCH IS ON YOUR OWN in one of the many eateries nearby.
After lunch we will tour The United States Capitol Building. The United States Capitol is among the most symbolically important and architecturally impressive buildings in the nation. It has housed the meeting chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate for two centuries. The cornerstone was laid by President Washington on September 18, 1793. 1800 saw the completion of the north wing in time for the first session of Congress on November 17, 1800. In 1803, construction resumed to comple the south and north wings with the wings connected by a temporary wooden passageway. On August 24, 1814, British troops set fire to the building during the War of 1812. Only a rainstorm prevented its complete destruction. By 1850, the Capitol could no longer accommodate the increasing numbers of senators and representatives. As the wings progressed, they more than doubled the length of the Capitol making the dome too small for the new proportions. In 1856, the old dome was removed and work began on a replacement with a new, fireproof cast-iron dome. Construction was suspended in 1861 so that the Capitol could be used as a military barracks, hospital and bakery for the Civil War. However, in 1862, construction resumed, because Lincoln believed that the Capitol must go on, just as the Union must go on. The work on the dome and extensions was completed in 1868. Interestingly it is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) and of James Madison (1809–1817) the state became the church. Within a year of his inauguration, Jefferson began attending church services in the chamber of the House of Representatives. Madison followed Jefferson's example, although unlike Jefferson, who rode on horseback to church in the Capitol, Madison came in a coach and four. Worship services in the House—a practice that continued until after the Civil War—were acceptable to Jefferson because they were nondiscriminatory and voluntary. Preachers of every Protestant denomination appeared. (Catholic priests began officiating in 1826.) As early as January 1806 a female evangelist, Dorothy Ripley, delivered a camp meeting-style exhortation in the House to Jefferson, Vice President Aaron Burr, and a "crowded audience".
Final Day of Reunion 6:30 PM Banquet tonight - $ TBD, The rest of the day will be free to explore some of the area's many attractions listed on the "Great Area Attractions page. Return to page 1 for First Day's Tours |