Mar 1, 2008 11:55 pm US/Eastern
Thousands In Louisiana Help Christen USS New York
Navy Ship Built With Steel From Ruins Of World Trade Center
AVONDALE, La. (AP) ―
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USS New York, San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, made with steel recovered from the World Trade Center site, Avondale, Louisiana.
AP
Thousands of people, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, gathered Saturday for an at-times poignant and uplifting service to christen a Navy ship built with twisted steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center.
The hulking gray USS New York, trimmed in red, white and blue banners, bore a seal on its bow, which included two gray bars to symbolize the Twin Towers and a banner over that declaring "Never Forget." The bow stem contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site.
"May God bless this ship and all who sail on her," ship sponsor Dotty England said before smashing a bottle of champagne against it, producing a loud thump to go with the spurting liquid and flying streamers.
Story after story of lives lost in, and touched by, the attacks peppered the ceremony, held under the blazing sun and broadcast on large screens. It all brought back painful memories for New York Police Lt. Matt Murphy. But the reason for his being here, though, was a source of pride, he said.
"I tell you, it's a fantastic day. Sometimes you think you're over something," he said, his eyes welling up as he looked off, toward the ship, "and then you realize you're not completely."
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told the crowd that ship names provide a legacy, and for their crews, serve as a source of strength and inspiration.
When the attacks occurred, the ship was planned but had no name.
It was named the New York at the request of former New York Gov. George Pataki. The steel from the World Trade Center site is in the part of the ship that splices through the water, leading the way.
"It resurrects the ashes, so to speak, to do great things for our nation," said Bill Glenn, a spokesman for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, the ship builder.
The billion-dollar, 25,000-ton vessel is 684 feet long, 105 feet wide; it can carry about 360 sailors and 700 Marines. The New York's prospective commanding officer is Cmdr. F. Curtis Jones, a native New Yorker. It is to be commissioned, essentially added to the fleet, next year. It could be used as part of peaceful missions or as part of war, said Admiral Gary Roughead, the Navy's chief of operations.
That it could be used in war did not bother Lee Ielpi, president of the September 11th Families' Association whose son, Jonathan, a firefighter, died in the attacks. The ship won't be used for war "unless you bother us," he said in an interview.
"We're sending a message that we're standing strong," he said, adding: "This ship, as it cuts through the water, is going to send a ripple. That ripple will say, We cherish our freedom."
Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., said Sept. 11th was a turning point in the nation, and will never be forgotten because remnants of the disaster are part of the ship.
"If the USS New York has to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, PCO Jones and his crew ... have my full support," he said to a standing ovation.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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