The USS New York returns some of 9/11 to the city
This item isn't really about politics, although it's obviously related.
We were struck yesterday, amid all the hoo-hah around here too about today's elections and politics, by the solemn, yet celebratory cruise into a gray New York harbor of the Navy's newest amphibious assault ship, the USS New York.
In case you haven't heard, the ship's keel includes more than seven tons of recycled steel from the wreckage of the World Trade Center on 9/11. And the ship's crest carries the motto "Never Forget." There's a video below of the ship's recent sea trials.
The city had warned denizens of lower Manhattan in advance. So the ship paused in the same Hudson River that had guided the terrorist-flown planes to....
... their targets. And the crew fired a 21-gun salute.
The new vessel, which carries a complement of 700 Marines and assorted aircraft and hovercraft, will stay in New York City a few days. But its image, we suspect, will live on a good while longer in the minds of many who witnessed those awful hours and all that has gone on at home and abroad during the 2,975 days since.
-- Andrew Malcolm
You never know exactly what you'll find here on The Ticket. Click here to get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot And we're also over here on Facebook.
Photo: Associated Press
The area around the World Trade Center was a crime scene. The steel which was removed and melted down was evidence from that crime scene. It should have been preserved.
It should be shocking to read that evidence from one of the greatest crimes in history was melted down and used to build a warship, but the fact is not even mentioned in articles about the U.S.S. New York.
Only three skyscrapers in history are alleged to have collapsed due to fire. World Trade Center 1, 2 and 7. What went wrong? Why did they collapse? Was there more to the story than what has come out? One way to determine that would be to examine the evidence. Unfortunately, 7 tons of the evidence was melted down and made into the bow of this warship and all the information regarding the failure of the structures contained in the steel was lost in the process.
Posted by: Paul Fretheim | November 03, 2009 at 07:32 AM
As a former amphib who served aboard USS GUADALCANAL LPH 7, I am humbled and exihilarated by this addition to our naval service. May you always have a following wind.
Posted by: R V Tenz | November 06, 2009 at 04:42 PM