Civilians get a free tour of duty aboard ships at the Long Beach Naval Station.

When people visit the Peleliu--a helicopter carrier that can transport 2,000 Marines and their amphibious craft into combat--they’re fascinated by the massive linked chain that raises and lowers the two anchors.

Each link weighs 125 pounds, and the anchors themselves top 40,000 pounds apiece.

Another favorite is the signal shack above the ship’s bridge--people are always curious what each colorful flag means. The black and white banner, for instance, says the captain is not aboard.

A look of wonder sometimes steals over visitors’ faces when they’re shown the so-called steel beach, a long bay at the stern of the ship. When the immense rear door is dropped, the bay takes in water and fully loaded landing vehicles are rolled out into the sea.

Don’t worry about sinking. Ballast in the sides of the Peleliu keeps it afloat.

People who want to know what all this excitement is about can find out Saturday when the ship hosts visitors between noon and 4 p.m. at Pier E at the Long Beach Naval Station on Terminal Island.

The free tour is part of the station’s 2-year-old ship visitation program, which attracts everyone from potential Navy recruits and nostalgic former servicemen to people curious about what lies inside the gray steel hulls of American warships.

“This is good for the ship because it keeps people aware of what we’re doing down here,” said Cary Christopher, the Peleliu’s assistant public affairs officer. “They drive to work (past the naval station) and they see the ships, but they don’t know anything about what the Navy is.”

In about 30 minutes on Saturday, visitors will be able to see everything from the vast hangar deck--which can hold 30 helicopters and invites comparison to a football field--to the flight deck with its side netting designed to catch anyone about to be blown overboard by the gale created by a helicopter rotor.

In between, they’ll catch a glimpse of the enlisted men’s mess, as well as the more comfortable domain reserved for officers, where passageways boast blue tile and the captain has a brass plate on his cabin door.

Another highlight is a climate-controlled conditioning room where temperatures simulate the wet heat of the tropics or the freezing cold of Alaska. Christopher said it allows Marines to “train and get adjusted to where they are going.” The room also doubles as a gym and recreation area, complete with Ping-Pong tables and video games.

Steps almost as steep as ladders connect the various decks of the ship, which is a world of overhead ducts, pipes, cables and wiring handling everything from the Peleliu’s own cable television system to foam for fighting fires.

According to Christopher, visitors most want to know about daily life on the ship, which has a crew of 800. “A lot ask if you have to stay on the ship all the time,” he said. “I tell them, ‘No, it’s like going to work.’ ”

Commissioned in 1980, the ship is one of five in a class built specifically to land an assault force using helicopters, landing craft, amphibious vehicles or a combination. Christopher said: “We’re the taxi service for the Marine Corps.”

The 820-foot-long vessel--named to commemorate the bloody capture of Peleliu Island during World War II--also serves as a disaster relief and evacuation ship. It played that role last year in San Francisco after the earthquake, providing temporary quarters for 800 homeless people. They slept in cots on the hangar deck.

In the Long Beach visitation program, a different warship is open for tours on the first and third Saturday of the month. They include guided missile frigates used to bring down aircraft, oilers that fuel other ships at sea, fast frigates, destroyers, rescue and salvage craft, and assault landing ships.

“There are 30 ships home-ported here, so we have a variety,” said Chief Amanda Brown, a public information officer at the station. All ships are docked at Pier E during the tours and the route to the pier is well marked from Seaside Boulevard, which provides access to the naval station. Soft-soled shoes are recommended, and the Navy cautions women, “The wearing of a dress or skirt is not recommended for touring a naval vessel.”

Among the various ships, Brown said “the Peleliu does well because she’s different, bigger than most ships; there’s more to see and there are not as many like her.”

With each tour averaging 400 people, she said the visitation program “gives us a good rapport with the community, shows them we are human and where their tax dollars go.”

What: USS Peleliu visitation.

When: Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

Where: Long Beach Naval Station, Terminal Island, Pier E.

Admission: Free.

Information: 547-7219, weekdays; 547-6202, weekends.