Navy ship built with WTC steel to go into service

[David]

AP


NEW YORK – A military band played and sailors fired off cannons as the Navy began a ceremony to commission its newest assault ship forged with tons of steel from the World Trade Center.

Hundreds of sailors and officers stood at attention on a chilly Saturday morning as the Navy put the USS New York into service at a pier in New York City.

The new vessel was decked in red, white and blue bunting for the ceremony, which started with a moment of silence for those whose lives were lost on Sept. 11. 2001.

The $1 billion warship was built near New Orleans by workers who survived Hurricane Katrina.










The new Navy assault ship USS New York, built with World Trade Center steel, passes Statue of Liberty as it arrives Monday, Nov. 2, 2009 in New York.