Malibu is gearing up to celebrate Navy Days this coming weekend, with the arrival of a Navy warship that will anchor off the historic Malibu Pier from Feb. 22-25. The ship will anchor on Friday and depart Monday, with plenty of photo opportunities for visitors. No public tours of the ship will be available, according to information shared from the City of Malibu, although organizers said there may be more opportunities announced for the general public.
The weekend event will see more than 200 Navy personnel on shore leave in Malibu; they will be welcomed by local dignitaries, elected officials and business owners.
“This is a positive event for Malibu after the fire,” Malibu Navy League President John Payne told The Malibu Times.
In addition to events scheduled throughout the weekend, Navy personnel will be taking part in community service projects over the weekend. Those involve a planned beach cleanup and visits to fire stations. Heidi Bernard with Pepperdine University called the event “a very volunteer thing.”
A welcome ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22, at 1:30 p.m. on the pier.
The ship scheduled to arrive in Malibu Friday will be part of the US Navy’s Third Fleet, and “to show appreciation from the US Navy and enlisted sailors and their families, and thank them for service to the country; to build good relationships between the community and the naval force that protects and serves it,” according to information shared by the city.