NEW YORK -- Docked on the banks of the Hudson River, in the shadow of a city skyline forever changed, the USS New York pays tribute to the nearly 3,000 people who died on that fateful September day, eight years ago.
That is where the ship's story begins, but the journey it would take to return to New York runs right through the heart of New Orleans.
It was 2003 and on the banks of another river-- the Mississippi -- workers at Northrop-Grumman Shipbuilding began construction of a naval warship to be named in honor of the victims of 9/11.
"It was just tremendous how all that came together," said Gawain Corcoran, a construction manager at Northrop-Grumman.
Nearly 25 tons of steel, recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, arrived at a foundry in Amite, where it was melted down and the impurities were removed. It left behind more than seven tons of steel that came to have both a practical and symbolic place, on the bow of the ship.
"The New York is leading the war on terror-- and the steel from the World Trade Center is cutting through the water, leading the way," Corcoran said.
Nearly two years into the construction process, though, another disaster would intersect with the USS New York -- Hurricane Katrina.
“It was devastating at first," said ship construction manager Tommy Barrett.
Evacuations scattered the workers across a half-dozen states. Two weeks later, though, most of them returned to work.
"I called them up and they said they had a place that we could stay," said Joseph Williams, a shipbuilder who lived in New Orleans East.
The shipyard put up a series of trailers for workers to live in. They called it “Kamp Katrina.”
"I had a job to finish. I wanted to come back," said shipbuilder Tracy Mackey, who lived in the Lower Ninth Ward, when Katrina hit.
On their days off, the workers went from shipbuilding to rebuilding. About 70 percent of the workers at the shipyard suffered damage to their homes during Katrina.
"It was a good spirit, in that everybody pulled together and tried to make things work," Williams said.
Workers went into overdrive and overtime, as they tried to finish construction of the New York, within the Navy's timetable. They did.
Hats Off
In March of last year, the USS New York was christened in Avondale, bringing together the ship's builders, its crew and the 9/11 families.
"You knew you had that bond then,” Barrett said. “They knew that we were part of them, and they were part of us."
Thousands of New Yorkers also sought to be a part of that experience. Crowds gathered this week in Manhattan to stand in line for a chance to see the ship. Nearly three weeks after leaving New Orleans, the USS New York finally arrived at Pier 88 in New York City -- a homecoming of sorts, for a part of the city nearly lost forever.
It also marked a homecoming for some of the ship’s crew members, who call the city “home.”
“Now that we’re here, now I understand what it really means and how much it affects other people,” said Latoya Wilson, a Brooklyn native who is part of the ship’s medical unit.
“[As we sailed into the harbor], I was on the phone with my mother, she was at work and she was basically crying on the phone,” said Isaiah Jackson, an electrician from Queens, serving on his first Navy vessel.
Captain Curtis Jones of the USS New York said the ship runs like a dream. He credits the shipbuilders, who put it all together, despite everything that happened after Katrina.
“That’s a testament to the spirit and the motivation and what they put into this ship. We left New Orleans approximately three weeks ago. We’ve operated every single capability this ship has, in the time in between, and it has performed superbly,” Jones said. “So, my hat off to those shipbuilders -- every one.”
For those visiting the ship, no matter if the backdrop is the Manhattan skyline or the foggy Mississippi, a bond between the people of New Orleans and New York endures, in part, because of this ship.
“I hope they know we care about them, and they care about us, up here,” said Peggy Juliano, as she and her family toured the ship in New York City. “Just because we’re separate states, doesn’t mean we’re separate people. We’re all one.”
"I built this!"
"It has touched the heart of America,” said Beth Mouch, as she watched the ship sail down the Mississippi in October. “We rebuilt New Orleans, we built the ship from part of the scraps -- and now we're sending it off as part of America."
As for the shipbuilders who helped make it possible, their attachment to this ship is unlike any they have ever had before.
"I've been here 32 years and I've worked on a lot of vessels, and this one is my most proudest, that's for sure," construction manager Barrett said.
"I built this! I helped build this!” said shipbuilder and Mid-City resident Shirley Johnson. “This is part of me, you know. It's like we're giving them something to help them remember 9/11. And the whole world gave New Orleans something: to come back home, so we could work and be able to build it."
"You know, that's America's ship,” said Douglas Blethen, construction manager of the USS New York. “And it holds a special place in all our hearts and so, no matter where it goes, or what it does, it's going to be in the spotlight and it's going to serve this country well."
The ship will be commissioned on Saturday and remain docked in New York City through Veterans Day. It will then leave New York Harbor and set sail on its mission.
To add a comment, please register or login.