The USS New York Helps Americans to "Never Forget"

Today the United States honors the memory of 9/11 victims by docking the newest Naval Warship, the USS New York, off of Pier 88 in New York. The USS New York's bow was constructed with 7.5 tons of the World Trade Center's twisted debris after 9/11, the steel melted and reshaped. In honoring the Americans who lost their lives and their families, the ship's crest reads, "Never Forget".

Newsday.com's article today, "USS New York comes 'home' to harbor" by Bill Bleyer, paints a vivid picture, "Firefighters and onlookers from the shore acknowledged the salute, while aboard the ship the head of the September 11th Families' Association, president Lee Ielpi, had tears in his eyes thinking about his son, Jonathan, 29, a firefighter and father of two killed on 9/11.."

The Naval Crew aboard the USS New York

A November 2, 2009 CNN interview with Commander Curt Jones asked him about the crew aboard the USS New York. He revealed that the ship's crew was young with 60% of the sailors never assigned to a ship or new to the Navy. He said that they have shared with one another their experiences and memories about that fateful day when the twin towers were hit.

USS New York's Hudson Run

After reverie at 4 a.m., the ship played Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" and then ran the Hudson. She received a welcome from New Yorkers on Staten Island and a salute of red, white and blue streams of water by fire boats off Governors Island, then turned around after reaching George Washington Bridge and returned to Pier 88. The 684-foot Navy amphibious vessel cost an estimated $1.2-billion and while in the harbor fired a 21-gun salute in honor of the fallen Americans.

USS New York's Official Website

The official website of the USS New York provides a diagram of the ship, photos, a countdown to her commission and information regarding hours that the public can tour the ship from November 4 through November 11^th.

The website also provides information on other ships that shared the "New York" name throughout United States history. The ships ranged from a Gondola commissioned in 1776 by General Benedict Arnold to 1911 when the battleship BB34 took the name and saw duty in the Pacific in WWI. According to the website, that USS New York ship "supported the invasion of North Africa in 1942, returned to the Pacific for the bombardment of Iwo Jima, and was used in atomic tests after WWII."

The USS New York's Crest

The USS New York's crest design contains:

- Seven rays of light that represent the Statue of Liberty's crown and the seven seas.
- A focus on the steel used from the Twin Towers
- The breastplate of the phoenix is in the colors of first responders: New York Police Department, New York Fire Department, and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
- Blood drops representing the fallen Americans
- Three stars representing those earned by the battleship USS NEW YORK (BB34) in World War II at Iwo Jima, Okinawa and North Africa.

The USS New York reminds all Americans what the United States has at its core: strength, dignity and the ability to rise up from the ashes no matter what the circumstances. Bearing witness to such an event undoubtedly brought tears to the eyes of all who watched as they remember that unforgettable morning on 9/11.

Rescources:
Newsday.com
CNN Television
The Official Website of the USS New York