Daniel Brite of North Park was one of the early arrivals to Meet the Fleet at 32nd St., an event that offered free tours Saturday of four ships at Naval Base San Diego.

I got my girlfriend out of bed and said, Let go, were going to check them out, the 37-year-old salesman said.

A visit to the 844-foot USS Tripoli, a Big Deck amphibious assault ship that carries and deploys Marines, made quite the impression. The size of the ship is actually pretty staggering, he said. It definitely makes you feel safe, seeing all these boats out here.

Brite was one of an estimated 10,000 visitors who took roughly half-hour tours of each vessel in groups of about 25 throughout the day.

It has been more than two years since the Navy last opened the base’s gates to the public.

This is a great opportunity for (the public) to come on board and actually see through the crews eyes what they do, what the mission of the ships are and what life at sea is like, said Capt. Robert Heely, commanding officer for Naval Base San Diego. I think thats really important because people dont really understand, unless youve been on these ships.

Guests on board the USS Tripoli (LHA-7) are guided through the flight deck of the ship. On Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, Naval Base San Diego hosted civilian guests to come on base and to take part in Meet the Fleet at 32nd St., where they took guided tours on board four U.S. Navy warships. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Saturdays tours on Pier 13 on the south end of the base kicked off the start of Fleet Week San Diego, which will continue through Nov. 11.

Other Fleet Week events include:

An Innovation Zone that will showcase some of the latest high-tech equipment used in both military and civilian applications, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Nov. 11 on Broadway Pier, at 1000 N. Harbor Drive. A boat parade on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) at 10:15 a.m., with views available from the shores of Shelter Island, Harbor Island, the San Diego Embarcadero, Seaport Village and Coronado Tidelands Park.

As for the 32nd Street tour of ships, Lt. Cmdr. Charles Johnson, base operations officer, said, Its a good opportunity for people that have been here for their entire lives and never been on the installation and come see what we do.

That was the case for North County resident Andy Jones, who visited the base for the first time after living in the San Diego area for 20 years. He brought along his sons, 6-year-old Rory and 10-year-old Grady. Together, they toured the Tripoli, a mini aircraft carrier that handles a variety of aircraft, including the F-35B Lightning II advanced fighter jet.

Ive never seen a Navy ship up close, Rory said. It was really big.

Two Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers were also on display — the USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee and the USS Pinckney. The Burke destroyers, considered the backbone of the fleet, have been in production for more than 35 years.

The Higbee was commissioned last year. The Pinckney was commissioned 20 years ago and in 2023 was the first Burke to get a major electronics warfare upgrade at nearby General Dynamics NASSCO.

Aerospace engineer Jim Kana was impressed to see how much they pack into that small, little space after taking a tour of the Pinckney.

People want to see what some of their defense spending goes towards, how its being used and what some of our capabilities are, Kana said. You see these ships all over the world and its interesting to see what they look like in person.

The Navy recently announced plans to extend the service lives of the 12 oldest Burkes in its fleet to 2035, or more than 40 years. For the next three years, the Navy is building the latest version of the destroyers.

The Navy Security Force demonstrated with speed boats and machine guns their capability of keeping U.S, Navy ship safe while in port. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Guest on board the USS Tripoli (LHA-7) are guided through the hangar bay of the ship. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Guest tour the USS Montgomery (LCS8) at the Naval Base San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Guest tour the USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) at the Naval Base San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

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The Navy Security Force demonstrated with speed boats and machine guns their capability of keeping U.S, Navy ship safe while in port. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

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Visitors also checked out the USS Montgomery, an Independence-class littoral combat ship that has been in service for nine years.

Chief Petty Officer Nathaniel Hayes was one of the guides taking visitors aboard the Tripoli, where he has served for the past five years on the flight deck where helicopters, tilt-rotor aircraft and fighter jets land every day.

You feel it — the heat, the wind, everything like that, the 32-year-old from Chicago said. It wakes you up, gets you excited and gets you motivated for whats going on.

Sailors often describe how they feel an attachment to every vessel they serve on, but Hayes said the strongest bonds are forged with fellow crew members.

The ship is just steel without us, without the people, the sailors that live on board ship and execute the mission, he said. We bring it life, essentially.

Union-Tribune reporter Gary Robbins contributed to this story.