Natalie Archibeque never planned to be standing on the deck of a visiting Japanese naval training vessel, but she found herself there at the Inner Harbor on Tuesday, describing the occasion as "lucky."
The visit of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Training Squadron to the Baltimore harbor — at Light Street and Fells Point — attracted lines of curious visitors who were welcomed aboard two of the military vessels, the Kashima and Sawayuki.
Archibeque came to Baltimore with her sons, Garrett, 8, and Grayson, 5, for an appointment with a Johns Hopkins Hospital allergy specialist and decided to make a little more out of their time here by touring the ships. "This was great. We saw the ships and got in line," she said.
She was also accompanied by her sister, Kimberly Clem, and her son Nathaniel, 3. The sisters had driven up from Richmond, Va., and soon found themselves standing alongside the Sawayuki's anti-submarine helicopter. One of the aircraft's pilots, Y. Sakata, explained how things worked during the tour.
More than 180 newly commissioned officers from the Kashima, the Sawayuki and the third ship, the Yamagiri, arrived in Baltimore on Monday. They were participating in an annual training cruise that began in Tokyo in late May and took them to Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, San Diego, Acapulco and Chiapas, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Baltimore. The squadron leaves for Lisbon on Thursday.
Jandiel Flacido, a visitor from Brazil, stood in line Tuesday as he waited to clear security before boarding the Kashima, the other ship anchored along the Light Street promenade.
"I like the ships' arms and I like seeing the technology," Flacido said. "But it's also a way to pass the time."
Brian and Sally Anselmo, from Decatur, Ill., toured the vessel with their children, Kyle and Melanie.
"We took the Camden Yards tour and we're fans of Edgar Allan Poe," said Brian Anselmo. "We happened on this and we thought we'd see the ship before taking off for Poe's tomb."
The ships' visit was a project of Sail Baltimore, a nonprofit group that has assisted in bringing more than 400 international vessels to Baltimore since 1975.
The Skroban family, Leane and daughters Rachel and Laura and son Karl, heard about the ship while in Baltimore for a convention.
"I heard there was a big boat. I said, that's for me, a boat for free," said Leane Skroban, who is from Rock Hill, S.C.
The Kashima and Sawayuki will be open from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday along the Light Street Promenade.