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Newest U.S. assault ship christened
USS New York made from steel from fallen World Trade Center

The USS New York, an amphibious assault ship built with scrap steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center, was christened Saturday as a source of strength and inspiration for the nation.

Thousands of people, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, gathered near the hulking gray ship, trimmed in red, white and blue banners.

The bow stem, which contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site, bore a shield with two gray bars to symbolize the twin towers and a banner over that declaring "Never Forget," a slogan among New Yorkers.

"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 that for their crews they serve as a source of strength and inspiration.

When the attacks occurred, the ship was planned but had no name. Then- New York Gov. George Pataki asked the Navy to commemorate the disaster by reviving the name New York. That required an exception to Navy policy of assigning state names only to nuclear submarines.

The steel from the towers is now 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.

Along with the steel from one of the worst terrorist attacks in the U.S., it also survived one of the nation's worst natural disasters: Hurricane Katrina.

The ship motivated many of the Avondale shipyard workers to return to the job, even though many lost their homes in the 2005 storm.

The billion-dollar, 25,000-ton vessel is 684 feet long, 105 feet wide. It is the fifth in a new class of warship, designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It can carry a crew of about 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

USS 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 Adm. 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. 11 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.

No offense to the DOD....but could they not have picked a ship that would do more inspiration than a gator freightor?
I mean what was the name of the famous LPD, LST, or other landing craft in any conflict we have ever dealt with?
No one remembers them.

If they really wanted to do some justice to the memory, make it the last in a certain class of hull, make it the first in a certain class of hull, make it an aircraft carrier, but not a gator freightor.

I don't get it. Where are you getting the name gator freighter? The primary mission for the ship is rapid response to fight terrorism, so this seems pretty appropriate.

"Gator Freighter" is an affectionate name given to most amphibious ships. Being a "Gator Freighter" is actually a very great honor. If it weren't for these ships many of our wars would have had a very different outcome. 

The U.S. Marines are a primary portion in the war against terrorism. Personally I think that it very appropriate for a ship whose primary function is to deliver 700 Marines and/or equipment to the point of battle.

Only to the Marines, most of us squids hated being around the Jar-heads all the time ;)

Although the placement of the name could be quite fitting given circumstances.... no one remembers the ships that deliver the troops.  When first created they had numbers and not names.
Think back to Vietnam and can anyone remember the name of any ships in that conflict?  Sure there is PT-109 but the only reason someone remembers that is Kennedy.  Otherwise people may remember the Iowa, Kitty Hawk, Forrestal.  And that is about it. 
And everyone hears the names of the carriers.  The battlegroups used describe the groups of ships out for deployment are by the carrier.

Just me but personally if I wanted to show an impact and give recognition to such an event the next carrier would have been named the U.S.S. New York CVN-911.  Commissioned Sept 11, 20XX.

 :D

Had someone said "Landing Craft", I would have understood. However, this new ship is much more than just a landing craft. If this is the same ship I saw a news clip on, this is one bad boy! - an awesome new class of fighting ships.

Not this Old Squid. A group of them and the grace of God are the reason that I'm still here today, but that's another story in itself. Even Air Craft Carriers have Marines onboard and so do some other nuclear weapons ships.


They might not know the names but everytime pictures of D-Day are given the landing craft have a major part of them.


Yep, I do. I can name about 40, maybe 50, but that's a different story also.  ;) :D


Patrol Boats are another story altogether and most of them don't get remembered as the PT109 has.


Now that would be a great idea, also.

Yes the New York is more than a troop ship.  However the breed of ships that it is has been around for 30 years or so.  So it is nothing really new...has new technology on it sure.  It is not even the first of it's class.


And someday PR I know I would like to hear the stories :)

And I rib the marines often.  We were "lucky" enough to not have to deal with them on board my small boys...but we did have Coasties (Coast Guard) detachments often when we were down in the Carribean.

This is not one of the small landing crafts seen in the D-Day films. This is a large type that carries the smaller ones. This one is designed to carry all three of the Marines' primary mobility capabilities - Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), Landing Craft, Landing Craft Air Cushioned vehicle and the MV-22 Osprey. It's capabilities far exceed the traditional landing craft. In essence it is a cross between a fast frigate and the old landing craft with a lot of additional new technology onboard making it a top of the line fighting craft.



No, it isn't the first of it's class. Although the LPD has been around for many years the USS San Antonio is the first in this class which was christened July 19, 2003.