Bow of New York contains 7 1/2 tons of steel from attack site

By John Hill
Press & Sun-Bulletin

A brand new Navy vessel and floating memorial to the victims of 9/11 will be commanded by a Binghamton-area native.

Chenango Valley High School graduate Cmdr. Curt Jones, 40, will command the USS New York, which was christened earlier this month in New Orleans.

The New York’s bow stem contains 7 1/2 tons of steel recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

Jones was born and raised in Binghamton, just north of Bevier Street. He graduated from CV in 1985, before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and joining the Navy.

The hulking, gray, 25,000-ton New York, with a motto of “Never Forget,” will be the first ship under Jones’ command. He called the assignment “completely humbling.”

“There’s so much tied up and represented in the ship,” Jones said. “I’m just a guy that grew up in upstate New York, and here I am now going to be in command of one of the newest warships … It’s just incredible.”

Jones spoke from Newport, R.I., where he and a crew are training. His wife and children live in Memphis.

Jones’ parents and siblings have moved from the area, but he said he still has friends in Binghamton.

His parents, Tom and Sandra Jones, live in Florida. They and the rest of the Jones family were on hand in New Orleans for the New York’s christening.

“I think he would have done whatever it was he decided to do … ” Sandra Jones said. “What I am most proud of is the kind of young man he has become.”

While he was already in line to command a ship, Jones said the fact he was from New York played a role in his getting this particular vessel.

“We’d hate to have somebody from Florida to be the first CO (commanding officer) of New York,” Jones said.

Jones didn’t know anyone personally who died in the terrorist attacks, but said he’s met the families of many victims since he was named prospective commanding officer of the New York. Many were at the christening of the ship.

“As you might imagine, it was a pretty powerful day,” Jones said.

The ship will be officially put into service — commissioned — in late 2009 in New York City.

The New York is an amphibious assault ship. Its primary job is to carry up to 700 Marines and their gear to wherever they need to go.

State names are normally reserved for Naval submarines, but former Gov. George E. Pataki requested the name be given to a surface ship involved in the war on terror to honor the 9/11 victims, according to the Navy.

The last ship to bear the name New York was a battleship that saw duty in both World Wars. Ironically, its keel-laying, the event marking the beginning of the shipbuilding process, was Sept. 11, 1911.

Tags: Christening, commanding officer, curt jones, grumman, Navy, navy vessel, New Orleans, News, northrop, northrop grumman, sept 11 2001, shipbuilding, upstate new york, USS New York, World Trade Center, wreckage