LOS ANGELES - Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), with more than 170 embarked Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force, arrived at the Port of Los Angeles today, kicking off the inaugural Los Angeles Fleet Week, which runs Aug. 30 through Sept. 5.

Coast Guard Cutter Active (WMEC 618), which arrives Sept. 1, as well as members of Coast Guard units from throughout the U.S., will also participate.

Los Angeles Fleet Week celebrates and honors the nation's sea services, facilitates annual disaster preparedness training between the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and local first responders, and offers the public an opportunity to tour ships and interact with Service members to gain a better understanding of how maritime forces support national defense and freedom of the seas.

Throughout the week, service members will also participate in a number of community service and community engagement projects and a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics exposition.

The public will have the opportunity to tour the ships and meet Sailors in the Port of Los Angeles, next to the USS Iowa Museum, Sept. 2-4 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., and Sept. 5 from 12 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend tours and interact with Sailors, though visitors are asked to secure a reservation for a tour through the Los Angeles Fleet Week website, www.lafleetweek.com.

U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Eastern Pacific from the West Coast of North America to the international date line and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.