The Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival sails back into New London this weekend, featuring everything from the USS Cole to a Coast Guard staged search and rescue demo to a chowder challenge to maritime educational displays.

The fighting ship USS Cole is an Arleigh Burke Class guided missile destroyer that was the target of a suicide bombing attack by al-Qaeda in Yemen in 2000. Seventeen crew members were killed, and 39 were injured. The Cole has since been repaired and is back on duty.

Among the plethora of other ships at the festival will be the USCGC Thunder Bay, a Coast Guard ice breaker; USCGC Albacore, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat homeported in New London; and the 65-foot small harbor ice breaking tug Bollard out of New Haven.

Schooners will participate in the fest and will race off-shore.

Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival schedule

Events take place in downtown New London. Visit ctmaritimefest.com.

The Cole and Thunder Bay will be berthed at Fort Trumbull State Park and will be open for tours, as will the other Coast Guard vessels docked along the New London waterfront.

Water taxis stop at City Pier, Fort Trumbull and Fort Griswold

FRIDAY

Noon-5 p.m.

• Ship visitation on board USS Cole at Pier 7, Fort Trumbull State Park

• Ship visitation on board USCGC Thunder Bay

• Arrival of Oliver Hazard Perry RI at City Pier

• Visitation on board the 87-foot Coast Guard coastal patrol boat Albacore

• Ship visitation on board Bollard, a 65-foot small harbor ice breaking tug

4 p.m.

• USCGA Corps of Cadets Regimental Review in honor of CMHF, USS Cole commanding officers and USCGC Thunder Bay commanding officers and USCG Albacore and Bollard commanding officers.

SATURDAY

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Ship visitation on board USS Cole at Pier 7, Fort Trumbull State Park

• Ship visitation on board USCGC Thunder Bay, Albacore, Bollard

• Deck tours on board the Oliver Hazard Perry RI at City Pier ($5/adult, $1 16 and under)

• Schooners open for visitation or sail off dock, City Pier

• SUBASE Security Craft open for inspection at floating docks off City Pier

• USCG Academy T-boats on display at Custom House Pier

11 a.m.-3 p.m.

• 5th Annual New London Chowder Challenge. Participants include USCGC Thunder Bay and USS Cole, both docked at Pier 7. Other participants will be along Bank Street and New London Waterfront Park.

1 p.m.

• USCG search and rescue demonstration on Thames River with a MH-60-T Jayhawk helicopter and small boat participation in full view from Waterfront Park

SUNDAY

9 a.m.

• Oliver Hazard Perry RI boards students and will then join the Parade of Sail prior to departure to Newport

10:30 a.m.

• Schooners depart in the traditional Parade of Sail to race course off Ocean Beach

Noon

• The Morgan Cup Challenge race begins

12:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

• USS Cole open for tours at Pier 7, Fort Trumbull State Park

• Ship visitation on board USCG Thunder Bay

• Visitation on board Coast Guard coastal patrol boat Albacore

• Ship visitation on board Bollard