"Never Forget"

It’s been 2362 days since the WTC and over 2K innocents were murdered on that horrible day in New York. And now, on March 1st 2008, Great Satan christens Her latest future Navy ship, created with 24 tons of steel from the ruins of the Twin Towers.

Her war cry is "Never Forget."

USS New York - the only current ship in Great Satan's global waterborne armory to bear a state's name that isn't a submarine. She is the 6th warship to bear the name.

Her nom de guerre in Navyspeak is Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD 21).

USS New York will transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies, by embarked air cushion or conventional landing craft or Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical take off and landing aircraft.

USS New York shall support amphibious, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century.

She is a significant offshore threat to Great Satan's enemies.

USS New York will chauffer 800 Marines into battle with all the goodies they desire and require to deliver a world of hurt.

Four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously. The ship’s hangar can store 1-2 aircraft.

Two 30 mm Close-in-Guns, for surface threat defense; two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers for air defense

Amphib Landing and Assault Craft - 2 LCACs (air cushion) or 1 LCU (conventional)

14 Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles

2 of her future sisters will be named USS Arlington and USS Somerset in commemoration of the places for the other two planes used in the attack on 911 that shed American blood on American soil.

She was christened by ship sponsor, Dotty England, (2nd time was the charm) on Saturday, 1 March 2008 at Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, La. Big time cats were on hand to witness the phoenix rebirth of firepower, staying power and willpower like Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, the NYPD and NYFD, and family of 9-11 victims.

Her new Captain is Commander F. Curtis Jones, a native of New York City.

Some shipworkers say the hairs stood up on the backs of their necks the first time they touched her, like a Holy Relic.

"This is sacred and it makes me very proud. Nobody passes by that bow section without knocking on it. Everybody knows what it is made from and what it’s
about."

Never Forget

Cross-posted at GSGF's home.