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#

A Casual Fundraising Evening with
Best-Selling Author, Combat Veteran, and Candidate for
the Republican Nomination for Congress, North Carolina 7th District
Ilario G. Pantano
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Place: Studio 100 Bar, Residence Inn by Marriott – Times Square
1033 Avenue of the Americas at 39th Street
NO ADMISSION CHARGE. Complimentary appetizers and discounted cash bar.
Campaign contributions gratefully accepted.
ABOUT ILARIO G. PANTANO AND THIS EVENT
Ilario G. Pantano is a New York native who now lives in, and wants to represent in the
U.S. Congress, North Carolina’s 7th District. A Marine veteran of combat tours in the Middle East and Europe, Ilario wrote a best_selling
book, Warlord: No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy, about his experiences, including a false accusation of murder
following a combat shooting of two Iraqi insurgents, a charge that was dropped. Among other things, he has
worked on Wall Street, been a small business owner, and served as a Sheriff’s Deputy in New Hanover County, NC.
This is a casual event where guests will have the opportunity to mingle with Ilario and each other. You also will
hear Ilario’s views on how Democrats and Republicans alike bear the blame for our current crisis of confidence in
Washington, and his plan to “Promote job creation, protect the homeland, and preserve conservative values
in government.”

www.PantanoForCongress.com

From the Department of Defense

WASHINGTON (NNS) — The Navy will commission the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Dewey, March 6, during an 11 a.m. PST ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Calif.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will deliver the ceremony’s principal address.

His wife, Deborah Mullen, will serve as the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when she gives the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”

Pre-commissioning Unit Dewey (DDG 105) Full Dress Ship

Designated DDG 105, the new destroyer honors Adm. George Dewey (1837-1917) who commanded the Asiatic Station from the cruiser Olympia. Shortly after the onset of the Spanish-American War, Dewey led his squadron of warships into Manila Bay April 30, 1898. The next morning, his squadron destroyed the Spanish fleet in only two hours without a single American loss.

A widely popular hero of his day, Dewey was commissioned Admiral of the Navy, a rank created for him, in March 1903. Two previous ships have proudly carried his name. The first was a destroyer (DD 349) that survived the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and went on to receive 13 battle stars for World War II service. The second was a destroyer commissioned as a guided-missile frigate (DLG 14</a>) before being reclassified as a guided-missile destroyer (DDG 45).

Dewey is the 55th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The ship will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management, to sea control and power projection. Dewey will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare in keeping with “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower,” which postures the sea services to apply maritime power to protect U.S. vital interests in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.

Cmdr. Warren Buller, of Concord, Mass., will become the first commanding officer of the ship and lead the crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Dewey was built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. The ship is 509 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

For more news, visit www.navy.mil.
To visit PCU Dewey’s homepage Visit PCU Dewey DDG 105
For more pictures visit USS Dewey DDG 105