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.
Its a tremendous feeling,
said Capt. Bill Galinis, Navy program manager for LPD
21. Its 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 ships 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 its
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 ships 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.
For more news from around the fleet,
visit www.navy.mil.
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