The USS New York, a Navy assult ship built with steel from the World Trade Center, will make its inaugural visit to New York today. The $1 billion ship, was built in Lousiana with using about 7.5 tons of steel in the bow.
The ship is scheduled to stop near ground zero today where survivors and families of the
victims, along with the public, have been invited to watch a 21-gun salute. Afterwards, the ship will travel up river to the George Washington Bridge where it will turn around, head south and dock at Pier 88 and remain there until Veteren's Day. On Saturday, an official commissioning ceremony is scheduled. After Veteren's Day, the USS New York travels to Norfolk, Virginia for a year of training and exercises.
The USS New York, which was actually scheduled to be built before the World Trade Center terrorist attack, is 684 feet long, can handle helicopters and the MV-22 osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
Out of the 361 sailors serving aboard the ship 13 percent are from New York state. And the assult ship can carry up to 800 Marines.
Of the other four ships being built two of those will also have names related to the 911 attacks.
They are the USS Arlington, built in honor of the attack on the Pentagon, and the USS Somerset, named after the county in Pennsylvania in which the United Airlines flight 93 crashed.
