USS McFaul (DDG 74) will visit Boston this week to participate in the city's St. Patrick's Day festivities.

With a crew of approximately 300 Sailors, the guided-missile destroyer will arrive Wednesday and remain through the end of the week.

The crew is scheduled to march in Sunday's St. Patrick's Day Parade and will volunteer in a Dorchester Heights park to clean and provide maintenance. The highest point in South Boston, Dorchester Heights was fortified early in the American Revolutionary War and played a decisive role in precipitating the British evacuation from the city.

"The crew has been anticipating the opportunity to visit such a historical area; it should be a memorable time in a welcoming city," said Cmdr. Michael Gunther, the ship's commanding officer.

"I've always wanted to visit Boston," said Sonar Technician 2nd Class Kaitlyn Buck. "I've heard so much about this city and I am excited to see it firsthand."

Tours of the ship will be open to the general public March 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additionally, tours will be available on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. New England appointees to the United States Naval Academy Class of 2020 will also be invited to tour the ship with their families.

McFaul's crew will take advantage of the opportunity to explore the city, with many looking forward to visiting famous landmarks such as the USS Constitution and Fenway Park.

Commissioned in 1998, McFaul is named after Donald L. McFaul, a Navy SEAL who gave his life saving another member of his platoon in Panama, in 1989, during Operation Just Cause. Homeported in Norfolk, McFaul returned from an eight-month deployment in December.

For more information about McFaul, visit http://www.facebook.com/ddg74

For more news from Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/.