On Saturday, September 19th, members of the Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet gathered to celebrate a major milestone for one of the founding chapters. The 40th anniversary of the USS Kelly. In attendance were members of the USS Delaware and USS Ticonderoga.

On September 1, 1986, several Star Trek friends got together and decided that they wanted to have fun with their Star Trek fandom. If other fans wanted to join them along the way, they were open to anyone who wanted to come along. Along the way, they met different Star Trek actors at conventions from Denver to Los Angeles. They tracked down the original Shuttle Galileo in the California desert. They helped provide educational and community services along the way. They even introduced fans together that grew closer and started families. In the words of Admiral Hollinger at the celebration; “It would take forty years to talk about all the things we’ve done and accomplished over the past forty years.”

In an age where an in-person fan club of any variety usually ends up petering out before its second anniversary, making it to forty years shows the dedication, tenacity and hard work that all current and past members have put into this chapter. Congratulations on making it to a 40th anniversary. Here’s to 40 more.

Here are some photos from the event.