Shortly after noon Saturday, a command rang out at Pier 86 in Manhattan: "Bring the ship to life."
With that, crew members in dress blues ran to stand at attention at the rails, radar antennas on the America's newest warship began to turn, black smoke poured from three funnels, sirens rang and the horn blared. And the USS New York - docked across the water at Pier 88 - became part of the active U.S. Navy fleet.
It was a ceremony evoking emotion, pride and patriotism and full of references to Sept. 11 - hardly surprising given that the 684-foot amphibious assault vessel's bow incorporates 7.5 tons of the steel skeletons of the World Trade Center towers.
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The ceremony began at 11 a.m. sharp with the ship's executive officer, Cmdr. Erich Schmidt, stating that "today our ship is complete."
The ship's chaplain, the Rev. Laura Bender of Lake Ronkonkoma, one of about 10 Long Islanders in the crew of 359, asked for a moment of silence "for those whose lives were changed" by Sept. 11. She said of the ship "she is not only the Navy's newest ship, she is a symbol of the strength and resolve of our nation."
Gov. David Paterson Paterson recalled that it was at the same spot on the pier adjacent to the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum seven years ago that then Navy Secretary Gordon England, now a deputy Defense secretary, announced that the ship would be named for the Empire State.
"This is a great day for everyone who believes in freedom and justice," Paterson said. Referring to the roughly 3,000 people killed on Sept. 11, the governor said "their spirit is embodied in this new ship."
With Twin Towers steel in the bow, Paterson said, "it is not just named for New York. It is New York."
He said as the ship travels the world, "we're sending a message that Americans are not cowered by evil."
The private ceremony was attended by 3,000, with about a third relatives of those who died on 9/11.
Mabus declared the ship to be commissioned a 12:03 p.m. Capt. Curt Jones, a Binghampton native, told Schmidt "hoist the colors." A large American flag was run up a wire behind the ship's foremast. Jones then read his orders for assuming command.
Then at 12:07 p.m., crew members in dress-blue uniforms ran to man the rails, the ship's matron of honor, Dotty England, the wife of Deputy Secretary of Defense England, commanded "bring the ship to life" and the gray warship decked in red, white and blue bunting became animated.
Navy and Marine aircraft flew by over the river in salutes.
"Captain, USS New York is manned and ready," Schmidt announced.
Concluding the 85-minute ceremony. Jones said that for 60 percent of the crew, it was their first shipboard assignment. Mentioning the World Trade Center steel, Jones said "it cuts the water for us. It reminds us every day of what we do and why we do it."
And speaking to the 911 responders, he said "New York now has the watch. Never forget."
The $1.2-billion USS New York, formally known as LPD 21 because it is officially a "landing platform dock" in Navy jargon, carries the 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in her bow stem, an underwater bulb that parts the seas.
Posted by Steve White 2009-11-08 00:00||
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#1 Bending plow sheers into swords! Send it to the East!
Posted by 49 Pan 2009-11-08 08:32||
2009-11-08 08:32||
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#2 I've long been uncomfortable with this idea. Sailors are a superstitious lot at times, the fickle sea tends to do that, and it is impossible to sway their opinions about the "luck" of a particular ship once they make it.
Of course, this works both ways. If a crew thinks their ship, Captain or other crew mates are "lucky", they can be shot all to heck and still be all smiles.
Posted by Anonymoose 2009-11-08 08:55||
2009-11-08 08:55||
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#3 The word is plow SHARE, that's the part of the plow that hsa a sharp steel edge to cut the soil and grass cover, so the Moldboard can turn the soil upside down.
It's a curved steel blade much like a Scimitar, but with the sharp edge on the inside of the curve instead of the outside curve, easily removed and bent straight, and whaddya know, a straight sword, just add a handle, or in an emergency wrap about 6 inches in tough leather.
Quick and easy to convert either way.
Posted by Redneck Jim 2009-11-08 12:10||
2009-11-08 12:10||
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#4 Thanks for setting the record straight.
Posted by 49 Pan">49 Pan
2009-11-08 17:55||
2009-11-08 17:55||
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#5 some people call it a Kaiser Blade. I call it a Slingblade
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
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Shortly after noon Saturday, a command rang out at Pier 86 in Manhattan: "Bring the ship to life."