USS New York (LPD-21)

Pre-Commissioning Unit "New York" (LPD-21), the fifth ship in the "San Antonio"-class amphibious transport dock, is the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the state of New York. The ship was designed to deliver a fully-equipped battalion of 700 Marines.

The ship is the first to be fully designed from the CAD-screen up to support all three of the Marines' primary mobility capabilities—Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), Landing Craft, Landing Craft Air Cushioned vehicle and the MV-22 Osprey. [http://www.defensetech.org/ March 01 2008]

Shortly after September 11 2001, Governor of New York George E. Pataki wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Gordon England requesting that the Navy bestow the name USS "New York" on a surface warship involved in the War on Terror in honor of September 11's victims. In his letter, the Governor said he understood state names are currently reserved for submarines, but asked for special consideration so the name could be given to a surface ship. The request was approved August 28, 2002.

Coincidentally, a previous holder of the name, USS|New York|BB-34, had its keel laid on September 11, 1911, exactly 90 years to the day before the World Trade Center was attacked.

Twenty-four tons of the steel used in its construction came from the rubble from the World Trade Center, aside from the small amount actually preserved for posterity. Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down at Amite Foundry and Machine in Amite, Louisiana to cast the ship's bow section. It was poured into the molds on September 9, 2003. With seven tons melted down and cast to form the ship's "stem bar"—part of the ship's bow. The shipyard workers reportedly treated it with "reverence usually accorded to religious relics", gently touching it as they walked by. One worker actually delayed his retirement after 40 years work in order to be a part of the project. [Tom Baldwin, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2191181,00.html "Warship built out of Twin Towers wreckage"] , Times Online, May 22, 2005.]

On September 9 2004, the Secretary of the Navy announced that two of her sister ships will be named USS|Arlington|LPD-24|2 and USS|Somerset|LPD-25|2, in commemoration of the places two of the other planes used in the attack came down: Somerset County, Pennsylvania and Arlington, Virginia.

The contract to build "New York" was awarded to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2003. "New York" was under construction in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina. [Associated Press, [http://www.sptimes.com/2006/04/04/Worldandnation/Navy_ship_with_WTC_st.shtml "Navy ship with WTC steel survived Katrina's assault"] , Worldandnation, April 4, 2006.]

The prospective commanding officer is Commander F. Curtis Jones, a native of Binghamton, New York.

Christening

"New York" was christened on March 1, 2008, in a ceremony at Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dotty England, the ship’s sponsor, smashed the traditional champagne bottle on the ship’s bow and christened the ship "New York". Several dignitaries were in attendance, including Louisiana Congressman William J. Jefferson, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, members of the New York Police Department and New York Fire Department, and family members of 9/11 victims. The champagne bottle did not break the first time it was struck against the hull of the ship, but the second attempt was successful.

Commissioning

The ship commissioning of USS "New York", is planned to take place in the fall of 2009. [ [http://ussny.org/commissioning.html "The Commissioning Schedule of Events"] , Official website]

References

This article contains information from the Naval Vessel Registry and various other US Navy Web sites.

External links

* [http://www.ussny.org Official USS NEW YORK Web Site]
* [http://www.ussnewyork.com USS New York Website]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article723328.ece News Article]
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/LPD21.htm USS "New York" entry in the Naval Vessel Register]
* [http://jeanne_and_trev.tripod.com/america/id49.html USS "New York" tribute site]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/LPD-21 LPD-21 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]
* [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334332,00.html FOX News story about the ship's christening]
* [http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Has_the_USS_New_York_been_launched&src=ansTT Has The USS New York been launched]
* [https://www.pms317.navy.mil/ships/LPD21FactSheet.pdf US Navy's fact sheet about the USS New York]