Tall ship, concerts, huge gala coming to Detroit for War of 1812 Bicentennial week

Tall ship, concerts, huge gala coming to Detroit for War of 1812 Bicentennial week

Almost 200 years after Detroit surrendered to the British without a fight, the city's riverfront will be the scene of a huge, weeklong gala in September, with a replica tall ship and several Navy war ships, concerts and fun events involving the city's pro sports teams.

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The War of 1812 Bicentennial and Navy Week, Sept. 5-10, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators --and millions of tourism dollars -- to about 50 events from downtown Detroit to Lake St. Clair.

Concerts are planned near the Renaissance Center, with precision rifle drills and a Red Wings alumni-versus-Navy-personnel softball game at Lake St. Clair Metropark. Most of the events are free, and officials are still working out the details of a few.

The celebration comes almost 200 years to the day that Gen. William Hull surrendered Detroit without a fight to the British. He was later court-martialed and condemned to death, though the sentence was ultimately reduced.

"Detroit doesn't normally get to see a lot of the Navy. We're bringing the Navy to Detroit, so you can see sailors and Marines, up close and personal," Adm. Gregory Nosal, in charge of the Navy's War of 1812 celebration, said in an exclusive interview with the Free Press. "It's our history. It's our heritage. A lot of people from the middle part of the United States, they may not have been exposed to the Navy."

Ship enthusiasts, history buffs and even landlubbers can tour the USS De Wert, the USS Hurricane, the Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay and the historic US Brig Niagara -- a War of 1812 replica tall ship first constructed using the original wreckage salvaged from a Lake Erie bay in 1913. It has been rebuilt several times and last came to Detroit for the city's 2001 tricentennial celebration.