Ship’s Bow Contains 7.5 Tons Of Steel From Fallen World Trade Center Towers

POSTED: Friday, March 12, 2010
By www.news4jax.com

MAYPORT, Fla. — The USS New York, which carries the legacy of a critical moment in U.S. history, made a special stop in Mayport on Friday.

The bow of the $1 billion ship contains 7.5 tons of steel from the fallen towers of the World Trade Center.

“That area of the ship really runs from just below the water line up through and literally leads us through the water,” Capt. Kirk Jones said.

The warship, with a crew of 360 sailors, can carry up to 700 Marines and their equipment wherever they need to go, whether to the rescue or in the heart of war.

But the ship also serves as a constant reminder of the soldiers’ call to duty. References to 9/11 are sprinkled throughout the ship, including the names of those who lost their lives.

“We carry the memories of those that were lost on 9/11 with us,” Jones said. “It’s a very visceral feeling for each and all of us. We are very aware of that every day.”

One piece of metal on the ship that was taken from the World Trade Center site has the ship’s motto carved into it, reading, “Strength forged through sacrifice. Never Forget.”

For the Marines who serve aboard the USS New York, they never will.

“I have a number of crew members that joined because of 9/11,” Jones said. “I have others that lost family members.”

When the ship was commissioned in November 2009 in Manhattan, 55,000 people were invited on board, all of who had some connection to the World Trade Center attacks.

The USS New York will remain at Mayport testing weapons until Monday, when it will return to its homeport in Norfolk, Va.

Posted by News 4 Jax at http://www.news4jax.com/news/22822252/detail.html#