NEW YORK -- The line began forming hours before it opened, but the wait came to end around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
“Woo! I'm first-on the U.S.S New York. We're here!" was heard when the U.S.S. New York finally welcomed New Yorkers on board.
The ship built here in Louisiana in Avondale contains seven and a half tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center after 9/11.
“That’s why it makes it a little part of New York and a part of us,” said Tony Guidone, a New York resident.
Security is tight today around the billion-dollar ship. Many here witnessed the attacks, and the public opening marks an emotional day for them, according to Rear Admiral Robert Kravitz, co-chairman of the U.S.S. New York’s commissioning.
“They’re a tough bunch, but when it comes to 9/11, they all have the same tear in their eye,” said Kravitz.
A tear in their eye, but pride in their hearts that a ship like the U.S.S. New York could emerge out of a day that is still so painful to so many here.
“It’s very heartwarming to know that something good came from such a terrible thing that happened and that it’s memorialized forever,” said Tina McCaffrey, a New York resident.
“Oh my god, it’s gorgeous. Just gorgeous. And it’s overwhelming, though, as a person who’s never been on one before, it brings a lot of tears to my heart, the way it was created,” said Peggy Juliano, a New Jersey resident.
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