History was made, and remembered, this week as the USS New York sailed away from the Port Of New Orleans and out into the Gulf Of Mexico on her voyage toward her namesake.
The Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, the USS New York was built with 24 tons of scrap steel recovered from the World Trade Center attacks. New York Governor George Pataki requested that the ship, one of five which was already under construction at the time, be named in remembrance of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
The USS New York is a special class of ship. Specifically designed for anti-terrorism operations, it will carry a crew of 700 combat-ready Marines and 360 sailors.
Both the shipyard and the Navy inspected the recovered steel and found that it was strong enough to be incorporated into the bow stem of the ship. The steel was then sent to Amite, LA, where it was melted down in a local foundry. "Those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there when the molds were cast on Sept. 9, 2003.
"It was a spiritual moment for everybody there," Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said. He remembered that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up. It had a big meaning to it for all of us. They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back," said Chavers.
While the USS New York will be the fifth ship of its class, there are at least two more vessels scheduled to be commissioned which will also be named for locations associated with the 9/11 attacks.
The USS New York will be commissioned in New York City on November 7th, 2009, when a small piece of what was lost on September 11 will return to the Big Apple. The public is invited to the ceremony.
The ship’s motto is “Never Forget.” We never will.
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