USS NEW YORK COMMISSIONING COMMITTEE, GOVERNOR PATERSON
AND MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCE DATE FOR USS NEW YORK
COMMISSIONING IN NEW YORK CITY
Navy Ship has 7 ½ Tons of World Trade Center Steel Forged Into Its Bow
Official website www.ussny.org
New York, NY, November 11, 2008 – The USS NEW YORK Commissioning
Committee, Governor David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced
the commissioning date of USS NEW YORK as Saturday November 7, 2009 in New
York Harbor. The Commissioning ceremony, which marks the official entrance of the
ship into the U.S. Navy fleet, will take place at the INTREPID Pier.
Named for the State of New York, the ship is currently completing construction in
Louisiana and features the most advanced military technology. It is unique in that
approximately 7.5 tons of steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center has been forged
into its bow.
The two officials made the announcement on Veterans Day at ceremonies in New York
City. The Chairman of the USS NEW YORK Commissioning Committee is John A.
Thain, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch.
"The Commissioning of USS NEW YORK in New York City a year from now will be a
proud and defining moment for all New Yorkers,” said Governor Paterson at the Intrepid
Museum during Official Opening Day ceremonies. “Steel from the World Trade Center
forged into the bow of the ship and naming the ship for New York is an extraordinary
tribute to the lives lost that day and a distinct representation of the spirit of all New
Yorkers.”
Mayor Bloomberg announced the Commissioning date at a Veteran’s Day reception at
Gracie Mansion, and said “New Yorkers will never forget the courage and sacrifice of all
the men and women who have served our country and USS NEW YORK is going to be
another powerful symbol of the deeply personal connection that New Yorkers have to the
fight in which our military is now engaged.”
As chairman of the USS NEW YORK Commissioning Committee, Thain heads a group
of civic minded New Yorkers and New York corporations in planning and conducting
welcoming events and also establishing a USS NEW YORK Foundation that benefits the
crew and their families.
The ship will arrive in New York City on November 2, 2009, when USS NEW YORK
will be open for public visiting during the commissioning week, culminating in the
November 7 invitation only commissioning ceremony.
“The significance of this ship’s commissioning in New York is immense,” said Thain.
“When USS NEW YORK makes her entrance into New York Harbor, with that special
steel forged into her bow, she will be in a sense coming home as an important symbol of
both strength and remembrance. Our goal on the Commissioning Committee is to make
sure that when the ship and her crew depart after a week-long welcome and the
commissioning ceremony, that she will carry not just that special steel, but also the spirit
of New York and New Yorkers with her,” he added.
The 25,000-ton USS NEW YORK is 684 feet long, 105 feet wide, and is the fifth
amphibious transport dock ship in the U.S. Navy’s San Antonio Class. The newest
addition to the Navy’s 21st century amphibious assault force, the USS NEW YORK will
have a crew of about 360 sailors and will be capable of transporting 700 combat-ready
Marines. The ship, sometimes referred to as a stealth ship, will also carry the Osprey tilt
rotor aircraft, Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) craft, and Marine expeditionary
vehicles.
USS NEW YORK was christened on March 1, 2008 at Northrop Grumman’s Avondale,
LA shipyard, where it is being completed prior to undergoing sea trials.
Further information on the ship and the planned events can be found on the official web
site of the USS NEW YORK Commissioning Committee at www.USSNY.org. The web
site offers exclusive and authorized commemorative items for sale, proceeds of which
will go to the USS NEW YORK Commissioning Committee and the USS NEW YORK
Foundation.
-End-
Contacts:
For USS NEW YORK Commissioning Committee:
John R. Dillard
Edelman ( 212) 704.8174
For Merrill Lynch:
Selena Morris
Merrill Lynch Media Relations (212) 449.7283
For New York City Mayor’s Press Office:
Stu Loeser /Evelyn Erskine ( 212) 788-2958
For New York State Press Office:
Maggie McKeon (518) 423-9337