Ship honors 9/11 sacrifice
By JOSEPH CALLO
Last Updated: 12:59 AM, March 21, 2012
Posted: 10:25 PM, March 20, 2012

At the end of this month, USS New York will sail east from her home port in Norfolk, headed for waters in extremely unstable and threatening areas of the world. She’ll operate in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
With tons of steel from the Twin Towers forged into her bow, the ship is a unique symbol of America’s resistance to the twin evils of tyranny and terrorism. Her motto is “Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.”
Commissioned in New York City on Nov. 7, 2009, USS New York’s special connection with her namesake town has been particularly meaningful for the city’s 9/11 families; many see the ship and the men and women who serve in her as a tangible expression of their deep personal reactions to the unspeakable brutality delivered upon their loved ones on that day.

New York is one of a new class of amphibious ships. Her crew has spent the months since commissioning training in complex operations, as she’ll operate as an airport for sophisticated aircraft as well as a seagoing base for a variety of state-of-the-art amphibious landing craft. She has also been training with US Marines to project the kind of power that protects our nation and brings credibility to America’s voice in peace and war.
For all or most of her coming deployment, New York will be part of a Navy Amphibious Ready Group — a force that is the modern expression of the ancient military concept of expeditionary warfare. In blunt terms, New York’s job is to deliver heavily armed Marines at times and places that are inconvenient to those who would do harm to America.
In this role, she is an extremely powerful and useful piece in the Navy/Marine Corps strategy of forward deployment in unstable areas. The fundamental idea is to deter, if possible, those intent on doing harm to the United States and its citizens — and to answer violence and aggression with appropriate strength when and where necessary.
That New York will inevitably also support others who are willing to stand against tyranny and terrorism is particularly relevant to the connections between the ship and the city. She will join other elements of US power that speak firmly of our determination to not only defend ourselves, but to advance human liberty and self-respect.
On the occasion of the ship’s commissioning at Pier 86, her first commanding officer, then-Commander Curt Jones, wrote to the friends and family of his crew:
“Sept. 11, 2001 will forever be a day that stands in the minds of those who experienced it. On that day, all the citizens of the United States became New Yorkers. An act that was meant to tear us apart and show our weakness brought us together as a nation and made us stronger.
“With 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site and forged into the bow of this ship, the crew of USS New York will ensure that the world will never forget that day.
“The spirit of those who have gone before us inspires us each day. We draw strength from their sacrifice and have placed the mantle of their memory upon our shoulders.”
With those words in mind, we can face the sea on which New York’s crew and embarked Marines will sail, salute and repeat the words of Dotty England as she broke the bottle against the ship’s bow: “May God bless this ship and all who sail in her.”
Joseph Callo’s next book, “The Sea Was Always There,” will be published this spring.
Article here

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By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Recruit Scott Youngblood, Amphibious Squadron 8 Public Affairs

USS NEW YORK, At Sea (NNS) — A film crew from Discovery Channel got underway with amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) Jan. 27 to document shipboard life and training evolutions for the network’s TV series “Mighty Ships.”

Discovery Channel has featured more than 30 different ships, from freighters to luxury liners, and is now embarked with New York while participating in Certification Exercise (CERTEX) and Bold Alligator 2012. The show will depict the working relationship between the Navy and Marine Corps services.

CERTEX is the final certification for deployment for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group. Bold Alligator 2012 is the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years.

“We wanted to show how two factions of the military work seamlessly together to train and prepare for deployment,” said Chris Gargus, the film crew director of photography.

Gargus has been on several Navy vessels while filming for “Mighty Ships.”

“The enormous complexity of these fascinating vehicles coming aboard such as the ‘floating tanks’ and the massive LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion) and the noise they create, combined with the precision of the crew, that’s what fits the category of Mighty Ships,” said Gargus.

Even after being aboard the New York for nearly a week, it hasn’t been easy for the film crew to adjust to a shipboard lifestyle, explained Gargus.

“It’s overwhelming as a civilian coming on board a ship, trying to figure out how everything works, and who does what,” said Mark Stevenson, director and writer for this episode. “Even with two camera crews, we can only be in two places at once. Having [Sailors] help us with that is critical because otherwise we would not be able to do it.”

“Everyone has been very helpful, the efficiency of the ship’s Sailors for making things happen for the film crew has been very impressive,” continued Stevenson.

The film crew made its way through the ship’s passageways and spaces, interviewing Sailors on topics ranging from flight deck operations to Visit Board Search and Seizure procedures.

“They asked me about the different pressures during evolutions pertaining to boatswains out at sea, and directing Sailors under some of the most dangerous conditions underway,” said Boatswains Mate Chief Warrant Officer Keith Shaw. “We wanted Discovery to understand if we’re not on our ‘A’ game one hundred percent of the time, there is a potential for loss of life; we stay ready so we don’t have to get ready.”

“This episode revolves on the integration of Sailors and Marines, and how the two groups work together to complete many different tasks aboard the ship while out to sea,” said Gargus.

“We were told from the beginning there is a great rivalry between the two, everything from sports to everything else,” said Gargus. “Everyone’s got their jokes about each other. But I saw a Navy hand reach out and a Marine arm come up from a rope ladder hanging off the side of the ship and pull that man up, and at that moment, they’re both part of the same brethren, performing the same action and looking out for each other.”

New York is set to be featured in season six of “Mighty ships.” The episode is slated to air in six to eight months when New York will be well into its maiden deployment scheduled for spring 2012.

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OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA — The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and their Navy counterparts of Amphibious Squadron 8 kicked off their final training evolution today to prepare their Marines and sailors for an upcoming deployment this spring.

Certification Exercise, commonly called CERTEX, is the third at-sea exercise for the Navy-Marine team and is intended to test their ability to rapidly plan and respond to a variety of crises during the next three weeks.

Over the weekend, approximately 2,300 Marines loaded the three amphibious assault ships of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the USS Iwo Jima, USS New York and USS Gunston Hall.

The Marines worked around the clock to load the essential aircraft, vehicles and equipment that constitute a Marine Air Ground Task Force, which they will put to the test while refining their skills before heading across the Atlantic into the European and Central Command areas of operation.

The 24th MEU/PHIBRON 8 team will conduct training missions in North Carolina and Virginia in the coming days, which will include a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel, mechanized raids, long-range aviation raids, and a response to a multiple casualty situation. These missions are based on a continuous fictitious scenario that has developed throughout the MEU’s six-month work-up cycle that has the unit operating off the coast of unstable countries who requested support from the United States.

A unique addition to this final exercise will be the integration of an unmanned aerial vehicle, which will deploy with the 24th MEU. This will be the first East Coast MEU to deploy with a UAV, which they will use to gather aerial imagery.

The 24th MEU’s CERTEX is also being included in the scenario driving Bold Alligator, the largest amphibious exercise conducted off the East Coast in 10 years.

The 24th MEU will conduct some missions in support of this larger exercise, but will mostly focus on its own mission essential tasks they are required to execute prior to deploying.

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