An imposing sight anchored off the Malibu Pier Friday.
The 505-foot-long U.S.S. John Paul Jones will remain off the coast this weekend as part of the "Navy Days" celebration. It's the first U.S. Navy ship to visit Malibu as a port of call.
To truly appreciate the size of this ship, click here for an image of it in dry dock.
Servicemembers and their families, many from the destroyer's home port in San Diego area, will be part of the event. Malibu residents were invited to tour the ship, but available spaces on the motor launches filled quickly.
Businesses organized a free barbeque, winery tours and other excursions for the 270 sailors, about 180 of whom will be ashore at any given time today, Saturday and Sunday. Sixty of the sailors are women, and of the entire crew, 31 are commissioned officers and 25 are chief petty officers.
Although the sailors are encouraged to wear their Navy white uniforms as a show of pride, they are also allowed ashore in civilian clothes or bathing suits. Motor launches will bring the sailors to Malibu Pier, which is adjacent to both Surfrider Beach and Billionaires' Beach.
A huge sailing yacht reputedly owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, which normally anchors at Malibu, was dwarfed by the warship today.
