SAN DIEGO - (Business Wire) The Japanese Navy training ships
Kashima,
Asagiri and
Umigiri will be visiting San Diego from May 8 through May 11, 2008. To mark the 25th consecutive year that the Japanese Navy has stopped in San Diego for joint training, a free concert is planned on the flight deck of the
USS Midway Museum on May 10, 2008, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.
The event will feature music performed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Band, the United States Navy Band Southwest, and traditional Japanese Taiko drummers. Admission to the USS Midway will be free from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for those attending the concert.
“In years past, the joint community outreach concert has been held in Balboa Park’s Organ Pavilion,” said Scott McGaugh, director of marketing for the USS Midway Museum. “The change of venue is fitting because beginning in 1973, the USS Midway was the first carrier homeported in a foreign country: Yokosuka, Japan. It’s an honor to host this important event.”
The Japanese Navy brings training ships to visit San Diego once a year to conduct joint military training and strategic exercises. This year, a total of 750 Self-Defense Force members, including 180 newly graduated cadets from the Japanese Maritime Cadet School, will be present. Their purpose is to establish seamanship, international relations and friendship with the countries they visit.
About the USS Midway
The USS Midway was U.S. Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century (1945-1992). More than 225,000 Americans served aboard Midway, participating in both combat and humanitarian missions. The USS Midway was decommissioned in 1992 in San Diego. It ultimately took 12 years of volunteer effort to secure regulatory reviews and permits by a non-profit organization completely funded by private donations. The USS Midway opened as a naval aviation museum in June 2004. The USS Midway Museum, located at 910 N. Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego, is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Visit midway.org or call 619.544.9600.
USS Midway Museum
Scott McGaugh
Director of Marketing
619-398-8250
smcgaugh@midway.org
