On Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to watch the "Christening" of the U.S.S. New York (LPD-21) in New Orleans. Dotty England, wife of Deputy Secretary of Defense, was the Ships Sponsor and conducted the ceremonial commissioning. On hand, were several thousand spectators including the families of those lost on 9/11 as well as representatives of the firefighters and law enforcement officers involved in 9/11.
The ship was on the drawing board, prior to the terrorists attacks on 9/11, however, the ships name had not yet been chosen. Following the attacks,the Governor of New York asked that the ship be named the U.S.S. New York. The bow of the ship is constructed out of 7.5 tons of steel that was salvaged from the "Twin Towers". In a normal Christening Ceremony, the bottle of champagne is broken across the bow of the ship, however, for the New York, two steel towers were temporarily mounted to the bow to represent the Twin Towers. Her bow is not only made out of "Twin Tower Steel" but during her construction in New Orleans, she was damaged by Hurricane Katrina which delayed her Christening.
The U.S.S. New York is a Amphibious Assault Dock, having a crew complement of approximately 300 and a landing force of approximately 800 U.S. Marines. She is capable of launching Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles, Landing Craft, Air Cushioned Landing Craft, MV-22 Osprey aircraft as well as a variety of helicopters. She is 684 feet long and 105 feet wide at the beam.
Several other things about the U.S.S. New York is unique. She is the sixth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for the State of New York. One of those ships was a battleship, U.S.S. New York (BB-34), oddly enough, the keel of this battleship was laid on September 11, 1911, exactly ninety years to the day before the World Trade Center was attacked. The prospective Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. New York is Captain F. Curtis Jones, a native of New York City.
The Secretary of the Navy announced on September 9, 2004 that two sister ships of the U.S.S. New York will be constructed. They will be named the Arlington and Somerset, in commemoration of the places two of the other planes used in the attack came down, Somerset, Pennsylvania and Arlington, Virginia.
The U.S.S. New York (LPD-21) will join the fleet in 2009, I wish her the traditional Navy Salute, "Fair Winds, Following Seas, and God Speed".
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