DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710010605

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Military 

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

WEEKLY BRIEFING

In General

SHIP VISITS: Three Navy ships will be open to the public from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The guided missile destroyer Mitscher and the destroyer Deyo will be at Norfolk Naval Station. Visitors should enter through Gate 2. The dock landing ship Portland will be at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Visitors should enter through Gate 1.

HOLIDAY MAIL: Cards and packages destined for military addresses overseas should be ready to go early. For surface mail with APO and FPO addresses, the suggested mailing date is Nov. 1. For parcel airlift and space-available mail, the date is Nov. 21. For letters, cards and priority mail, the date is Dec. 1. For mail destined for U.S. ZIP codes, suggested mailing dates are Dec. 1 for space-available mail, Dec. 5 for priority and Dec. 12 for air letters and cards.

BRITISH CARRIER: The British Royal Navy aircraft carrier Invincible is scheduled to arrive at 10:45 a.m. today at Norfolk Naval Station for a five-day visit before returning to sea Oct. 6. It and its 1,200-member crew, including about 120 women, have been working with U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier squadrons from Cherry Point, N.C. The Invincible, with its unique ski ramp deck, is capable of carrying up to 24 Harriers and Sea King helicopters.

FLEET WEEK: Celebration of the armed services during Fleet Week, Oct. 7-12, includes the following events. Call the listed numbers for times and locations:

Oct. 5 - Tours of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Lightship (393-8591).

Oct. 6 - Coast Guard art exhibit, through Friday (393-5460).

Oct. 7 - Golf tournament (664-2523), juried art exhibit at the Arts Center of the Portsmouth Museum (393-8983), softball tournament (464-7419) discount movie tickets for active-duty military at the Commodore Theater in Portsmouth (393-4383).

Oct. 8 - Military Citizen of the Year luncheon (664-2576 for reservations); concerts by U.S. Atlantic Fleet Band, Country Current and the Navy Steel Band (322-2853); softball tournament (464-7419), discount movie tickets at the Commodore, Tidewater Community Band Concert (8 p.m. at Willett Hall).

Oct. 9 - Navy Steel Band concert at Portside (322-2853), softball tournament (464-7419), discount movie tickets at the Commodore, concert and music clinic for Chesapeake high schools.

Oct. 10 - Ships visits at Nauticus, Waterside and Portside (322-2853), 5K run at Norfolk Naval Air Station (444-2685, Ext. 257), Fleet Week Ceremony at Town Point Park with concerts by Navy musicians and Suzy Bogguss (441-2345).

Oct. 11 - Chili cook-off at Oceana's Maingate Park (363-4311), ship visits (322-2853 or 444-7955), Civil War Day at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth (396-9550), historical tours at Portmouth Naval Medical Center (953-7422), sports tournaments in Newport News (tennis, 247-8588; softball/volleyball, 591-4892).

Oct. 12 - Ship visits (322-2853 or 444-7955); concerts at Virginia Beach Jazz and Blues Festival, Suffolk Peanut Fest and Hampton Phoebus Days; sports tournaments in Newport News.

For more information, visit the web site at http://www.cmar.navy.mil/fleetweek.htm or call 322-2961 or 322-2853.

Comings and goings

The Coast Guard cutter Legare is scheduled to return to Portsmouth today after a 4 1/2-month European deployment. Legare was the first ``Famous Class'' cutter to cross the Atlantic to participate in Navy-sponsored Baltic operations, which included 48 ships, 16 air squadrons and members from 12 countries. Legare normally operates in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

The Coast Guard cutter Bear was scheduled to return to Portsmouth on Wednesday after a 37-day East Coast deployment.

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