Dreams of having another U.S. Navy port visit in Malibu were dashed last week when news came that the USS Lake Champlain (CG-57)’s anticipated visit in September would be cancelled.
The U.S. Navy in San Diego cancelled the visit, according to the Malibu Navy League’s John Payne, who cited the fact that naval ships’ schedules “change all the time.”
“That’s normal, not any reflection on our Malibu supporters or the Malibu Navy League,” Payne wrote in an email shared with The Malibu Times.
There were no plans for a future naval visit to Malibu.
In 2011, the USS John Paul Jones made a stop in Malibu, much to the delight of many local residents and businessowners. The joyful weekend was “a fantastic event, a documented accomplishment of extra effort by the Malibu community,” Payne recalled.