Amphib New York set to leave for namesake city

[unhappycamper]

The USS New York sails Oct. 13 down the Mississippi River through the Port of New Orleans in New Orleans. The ship was built with about eight tons of steel from the World Trade Center site and is on its way to New York for its commissioning.


Amphib New York set to leave for namesake city
By Alan Sayre - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Oct 13, 2009 12:58:33 EDT

AVONDALE, La. — A Navy assault ship built with tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center towers began its journey to New York on Tuesday, sailing down the Mississippi River in a pea-soup fog as watchers along the levee strained for a glimpse.

The USS New York, named to commemorate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, left the Northrop Grumman shipyard where it was built for the trip to its namesake city. The $1 billion ship will be formally commissioned in New York in early November.

The New York is 684 feet long and can carry up to 800 Marines. It has a flight deck that can handle helicopters and the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

Four tugboats performed an intricate set of maneuvers to pull the warship from the dock at the New Orleans-area shipyard and turn it 180 degrees toward the waters of Gulf of Mexico. An armed Coast Guard speedboat and a helicopter flying overhead guarded the vessel. The ship will sail through the Gulf and around Florida before turning north and continuing to New York.

Deputy project manager Doug Lounsberry said the vessel was important to the builders, not only because it honors those killed in the terrorist attacks, but because workers were hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 during the early phases of construction.


Rest of article about this $1 billion dollar wonder at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_new_york_navy_101309/

[Obamanaut]

1. Found a good documentary on DVD a couple of weeks ago on

the New York. I think the title was "Hero Ships - New York" or something similar.

Interesting. The completion date was delayed by hurricane Katrina, workers lived in dormitories because so many home were destroyed - a good DVD.

DVD also went into some of the history of the other USS New York, the battleship.

edited to add this tidbit: The keel was laid for USS New York in the New York naval shipyard September 11, 1911.