Album: 2024 Fort McHenry Memorial Buoy Drop

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

The Fort McHenry Memorial Buoy marks the approximate location of Francis Scott Key's truce ship during the British forces attack on Baltimore in September 1814. The seasonal buoy is placed in Baltimore Harbor every summer by crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter JAMES RANKIN (WLM 555) in a ceremony attended by NPS staff from Fort McHenry NMHS and removed just before winter. 2024 marks the 44th year the buoy has been placed.