New Ship; Old Steel; Cuddlely News
 

From WCBS Radio on 23 Mar 2006: The USS New York is a USS San Antonio class (LPD-xx) assault ship. Unlike Amphibious Assault Ships USS Bataan and the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-xx; USS Wasp class) (that were finally in New Orleans five days after Katrina), the San Antonio class (LPD-xx) does not have the big flight deck.

The first New York was a gondola, built on Lake Champlain in 1776, that participated in the Battle of Valcour Island.

The second New York was a 36-gun frigate commissioned on 1800 and burned by the British in 1814.

The third New York was a 74-gun ship of the line, laid down in 1820 but which never left the stocks and was burned in 1861.

A screw sloop named New York was laid down in 1863 as Ontario, renamed in 1869, and sold while still on the stocks, in 1888.

The fourth New York (CA-2) was an armored cruiser commissioned in 1893, in action in the Spanish-American War, renamed to Saratoga in 1911, renamed Rochester in 1917, decommissioned in 1933, and scuttled in 1941.

The fifth New York (BB-34) was a battleship commissioned in 1914, in action in both World War I and World War II, decommissioned in 1946 and sunk as a target ship in 1948.

The sixth New York (LPD-21) is an amphibious transport dock currently under construction. Some of the metal used comes from the rubble of the World Trade Center.
:)

USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite , LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, 'those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,' recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. 'It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.'

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.' 'It had a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.'

The ship's motto? 'Never Forget'

Forgot to add this:

The Christening celebration will begin with musical performances at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2008 at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Avondale, Louisiana.

That's pretty cool!

USS San Antonio (LPD-17)
USS New Orleans (LPD-18)
USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19)
USS Green Bay (LPD-20
USS New York (LPD-21), no ship's website yet, but googling finds over 1300 hits
And pending, well, impending: USS San Diego (LPD-22)

LPD-17s

Mark your calendars!