Thousands expected to line Mississippi River to honor LPD as it departs the Big Easy for the Big Apple
New Orleans business and civic leaders are organizing a Big Easy farewell for the USS New York Tuesday, Oct. 13 as it departs Northrop Grumman’s Avondale Shipyard for its commissioning in New York. Thousands of American flags will be distributed and folks urged to wave them early that morning as the 684-foot long vessel makes its way through the Crescent City to the mouth of the Mississippi.
The ship’s crew has been busy lately getting accustomed to their new quarters and taking in the sights and sounds of New Orleans. Last Sunday, officials with both the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints arranged tickets for all of them to attend the NFL game, which, of course, the Saints won 24-10.
The $1.2 billion ship is armed with steel taken from the fallen World Trade Center. The steel arrived in 2002 and Amite, La. Foundry & Machine Inc. melted the steel and cast the ship’s bow stern with it. The Amphibious Transport Dock vessel is built to carry 800 marines, their combat gear and helicopters to theaters around the world.
It is the first of three Amphibious Transport vessels to be built named after sites associated with Sept. 11, 2001. The USS Somerset – named after the Pennsylvania county where one of the hijacked planes was forced down by heroic passengers – is also being built at Northrop Grumman’s Avondale Shipyard near New Orleans. The USS Arlington – named for the Pentagon site – is being built at Northrop Grumman Pascagoula.
The USS New York is scheduled to be commissioned in its namesake city Nov. 7 and the crew will participate in the New York Veterans Day Parade Nov. 11. The ship will likely not be deployed until late 2010.