The Ryan family of the Pittsburgh area got to see something you don’t find on the Monongahela River. With Kelly Ryan behind the wheel of our sailboat while drifting off Yorktown, a US Navy destroyer came up the river from Norfolk, en route to the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. 
The family found it equally intriguing to watch the George P. Coleman Bridge swing two spans open for the ship.Kelly’s sister Carrie found the identity of warship 96, whose number was prominent on the bow.
She read from Wikipedia: “USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is the fifth ship to carry that name, and the 46th destroyer of a planned 75-ship class. Bainbridge is named in honor of Commodore William Bainbridge, who as commander of the frigate USS Constitution distinguished himself in the War of 1812 when he and his crew captured HMS Java, a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy.”
Later in the day the Thomas family of Murrysville PA enjoyed a calm day on the river with gentle breezes. Off in the distance we could see the Bainbridge docked at Naval Weapons.
Let’s Go Sail
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