Malibu greets USS John Paul Jones with fanfare

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On Friday, Cmdr. Chris Cegielski of the USS John Paul Jones gives a tour of the destroyer to Mayor John Sibert and Miss Malibu 2011Erin White, along with other visitors. The ship docked near Malibu Pier for three days.

The 505-foot-long Navy battleship USS John Paul Jones docked off the Malibu Pier Friday for three days. Malibu dignitaries and politicians, as well as Miss Malibu Erin White, greeted the ship’s captain and sailors, who spent shore leave in Malibu and were treated to a barbecue by Grant Adamson, descendant of Malibu’s pioneers.

A posting from the commander on the ship’s Facebook page gave thanks to Malibu: “Just wrapped up a great weekend port visit in Malibu. Many thanks go out to the Mayor’s office, the Chamber of Commerce and Pepperdine University for all of things, big and small, that you did for the crew. Our gratitude goes out to the Adamson family for the wonderful barbeque on Sunday evening. Without the work and dedication of the Navy League of Malibu, in particular John Payne, this weekend’s events would not have been possible. And lastly, a big thanks goes out to the people of Malibu. The welcoming, open-arms attitude of everyone we encountered and the outpouring of support drove home the point that people truly appreciate the things that we do and makes the sacrifices that we undergo that much easier to endure.  We are proud to be your ship.”

The docking of the ship in Malibu was a collaborative effort between resident and retired Naval Reserve Captain John Payne, the Malibu Navy League, Pepperdine University, the Malibu Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Navy’s 3rd fleet in San Diego. See more photos on page B4.