Commemoration of War of 1812 Begins in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Navy is kicking off its celebration of the War of 1812 in New Orleans in a big way.

The event, which is the first of four years of festivities around the nation, begins Tuesday with a parade of tall ships and modern Navy ships sailing up the Mississippi River into the Port of New Orleans

A 21-gun salute fired by the National Guard's Washington Artillery at the old Navy pier in Algiers will welcome them.

The flotilla will stretch from the Mississippi River Bridge to the Esplanade Street Wharf and the ships will be open to the public in the afternoons through Sunday.

The weeklong event in New Orleans will also have air shows, flights by the Blue Angles, and events at the Chalmette Battlefield.