The USS New York, an amphibious assault ship built with scrap steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center, has been christened as a source of strength and inspiration for Americans.
Thousands of people, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, gathered on Saturday near the hulking gray ship, trimmed in red, white and blue banners.
'NEVER FORGET'
The bow stem, which contains 6.8 tonnes 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 after the attack.
"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.
Her husband, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, spoke at the ceremony.
"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."
He said 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 governor 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.
LEADING THE WAY
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.
The US$1 billion, 22,700-tonne vessel is 208m long and 32m wide. It is the fifth in a new class of warship, designed for missions that include anti-terrorist operations. It can carry a crew of about 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.
The USS New York's prospective commanding officer is Commander 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 a war, said Admiral Gary Roughead, the US 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 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," Ielpi said. "This ship, as it cuts through the water, is going to send a ripple. That ripple will say, `We cherish our freedom.'"
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