 AVONDALE, La. (NNS) -
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (NGSS) here invited the media to witness
the progress being made on the amphibious transport dock ship New York
(LPD 21) in mid-Aug.
As the ship nears 50 percent completion,
the most unique characteristic of the ships construction process is
that the bow stem was formed using steel from the World Trade Center
(WTC).
In August 2005 NGSS finished construction of the bow
stem. Hoisting and welding the 7.5-metric ton bow stem to the ship was
completed in August 2006.
“It’s a tremendous feeling,” said
Capt. Bill Galinis, Navy program manager for LPD 21. “It’s a tie that
will forever bind the Sailors and Marines who sail this ship with the
citizens of New York.”
The idea for using steel from the WTC as
part of the ship's frame could not be attributed to any one individual
or organization. However, New York Gov. George Pataki worked to acquire
the steel and deliver it to the Amite Foundry and Machine, Inc., Amite,
La., as a gift from the citizens of New York to the Navy. The steel was
treated and smelted for use as the ship’s bow stem (Unit 1120) during
construction.
The bow stem is the foremost portion of the ship where it cuts through the water and offers hull integrity.
"The
significance of where the WTC steel is located on the 684-foot-long
ship symbolizes the strength and resiliency of the citizens of New York
as it sails forward around the world," said Cmdr. Quentin King, Navy
program manager representative on site. "It sends a message of America
becoming stronger as a result, coming together as a country and ready
to move forward as we make our way through the world."
The design of New York and its sister ships directly reflects
considerations given to the day-to-day activities of the Sailors and
Marines who will serve aboard.
According to Galinis, Navy and
Marine Corps teams came together in the early stages of the design
process with ideas regarding improvements in berthing, messing spaces,
increased training capabilities and the installation of a ship wide
area network (SWAN).
Another innovation is how Sailors and Marines move throughout the ship.
“Electronically,
we took the average Marine in full battle gear and ran them through the
passageways of a three-dimensional model,” said Woody Oge, site
director of New Orleans Operations, NGSS. “In that program we highlight
in red everything he hits, and what we found in the initial design was
we had to do some slight tweaking of piping system and power
distribution or move certain systems, so we have a Marine move through
the passageways unencumbered. This was done throughout the ship.”
“We
had to realize early on it’s the Sailor and Marine who uses the ship
[and they] are our customers,” continued Oge. “If we can make it a
better facility for him to perform his mission, then we have done our
job, and I think we have.”
In a ceremony Sept. 7, 2002, then
Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England declared the fifth amphibious
transport dock ship of the San Antonio class to be named New York.
In
keeping with the ship’s official motto of “Never Forget,” amphibious
transport dock ship New York is slated for commissioning at its
namesake city of New York in fall of 2008. Her homeport will be in
Norfolk, Va.
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Santos Huante
Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic, January 11, 2007
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Workers
pour molten steel into a mold to form the bow stem of the Amphibious
Transport Dock ship USS New York (LPD 21). In the foreground of the
image below a previously cast bow stem can be seen as an example of
what the New York bow stem will resemble.
Hurricane
Katrina disrupted the ships construction when it pounded the New
Orleans area. However, the 684-foot vessel escaped serious damage and
workers were back at the yard in the weeks after the storm.
Above,
Secretary of the Navy Gordon England announced the naming the LPD-21,
New York to honor the victims of Sept. 11. The naming ceremony was held
aboard the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in Manhattan.
Photo by Capt. Kevin Wensing.
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