USS New York (LPD-21)
USS New York in the Hudson River on 2 November 2009
History
United States
NameNew York
NamesakeNew York, U.S.[2]
Awarded25 November 2003[1]
BuilderNorthrop Grumman Ship Systems[1]
Laid down10 September 2004[1]
Launched19 December 2007[1]
Christened1 March 2008
Acquired21 August 2009[1]
Commissioned7 November 2009[3]
HomeportNaval Station Norfolk[4]
Identification
MottoStrength forged through sacrifice. Never forget
Statusin active service[1]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeSan Antonio-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement24,900 tons full
Length
Beam
  • 31.9 m (104 ft 8 in) extreme
  • 29.5 m (96 ft 9 in) waterline
Draft7.0 m (23 ft 0 in))
PropulsionFour 10,400 hp (7,755 kW) sequentially turbocharged marine Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 41,600 hp (31,021 kW), driving Rolls-Royce controllable-pitch propellers
SpeedIn excess of 22 knots (25 mph; 41 km/h)
Boats & landing
craft carried
Capacity
  • Embarked Landing Force: 699
  • (66 officers, 633 enlisted)
  • surge capacity to 800
Complement28 officers, 332 enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried

USS New York (LPD-21) is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, and the fifth ship of the United States Navy named after the state of New York.[5][2]

Naming

Shortly after September 11, 2001, Governor of New York George E. Pataki wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England requesting that the Navy bestow the name New York on a surface warship involved in the Global War on Terrorism in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks.[6] Pataki wrote that he understood state names were reserved for submarines, but he asked for special consideration so the name could be given to a surface ship.[7] The request was approved on 28 August 2002.

Sister ships names announced

On 9 September 2004 Gordon R. England, then the Deputy Secretary of Defense, announced that two of New York's sister ships would be named Arlington and Somerset in commemoration of the places where two of the other planes used in the attacks came down: Arlington County, Virginia, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania.[8]

Construction

Steel from the World Trade Center is melted and poured for construction of New York, September 2003.

A symbolic amount of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center after it was destroyed in the September 11 attacks was used in her construction.[5]

The ship is the first to be designed fully from the CAD-screen up to support both of the Marines' primary mobility capabilities, LCAC landing craft and MV-22B Osprey aircraft.[9]

The contract to build New York was awarded to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003. New York was under construction in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.[10]

7.5 short tons (6.8 t) of the steel used in the ship's construction came from the rubble of the World Trade Center; this represents less than one thousandth of the total weight of the ship.[11] The steel was melted down at Amite Foundry and Machine in Amite, Louisiana, to cast the ship's bow section. It was poured into the molds on 9 September 2003, with 7 short tons (6.4 t) cast to form the ship's "stem bar"—part of the ship's bow. The foundry workers reportedly treated it with "reverence usually accorded to religious relics," gently touching it as they walked by. One worker delayed his retirement after 40 years of working to be part of the project.[12]

Christening and delivery

New York was christened on 1 March 2008, in a ceremony at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans. Ship sponsor Dotty England, wife of Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England, smashed the traditional champagne bottle on the ship's bow and christened the ship New York. Several dignitaries were in attendance, including Louisiana Congressman William J. Jefferson, members of the New York City Police Department and the New York City Fire Department, and family members of victims of the September 11 attacks. The champagne bottle did not break the first time it was struck against the hull of the ship, but the second attempt was successful.[13]

The ship was delivered to the Navy on 21 August 2009 at New Orleans. She set sail for Norfolk, Virginia, on 13 October 2009.[14] On 2 November 2009 the ship passed the World Trade Center site for the first time and gave the site a 21-gun salute.[3][15]

Commissioning and trials

New York at her commissioning ceremony

The commissioning ceremony for New York took place on 7 November 2009, in New York City. Speakers included Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Governor David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead, and Commandant of the Marine Corps General James T. Conway.[16] Approximately one in seven of the plank owners are from New York state, a larger number than usual.[17]

Propulsion

New York uses four Fairbanks-Morse license-built MAN Colt-Pielstick PC2.5 STC sequentially turbocharged marine diesel engines with inboard rotating Rolls-Royce controllable-pitch propellers.[7] The V16-cylinder Colt-Pielstick PC2.5 STC engine is intended for use on ships requiring high propulsion power combined with a lightweight installation.[18] Each V16 PC2.5 STC diesel engine weighs 84 metric tons (83 long tons) dry without flywheel.[19]

On 11 January 2010, the Navy announced that the ship would have to undergo repairs for faulty engine parts after inspectors discovered the "premature failure" of bearings on the ship's main propulsion diesel engines during a week-long sea trial following the November commissioning.[20]

Service history

2012

On 10 June 2012 the ship was deployed for the first time to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf region.[21] She deployed with Marines from 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division and returned in December 2012 along with USS Iwo Jima, USS Gunston Hall and the Marines from the same unit attached to all three ships.[20]

2014

New York docked at the North Carolina State Port in Morehead City, North Carolina, 2014

In June 2014, the ship was used to transport Ahmed Abu Khattala, suspected mastermind of the 2012 Benghazi attack on the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, back to the United States.[22]

2017

On 11 September 2017, New York arrived off the Florida coast for Hurricane Irma relief, 16 years to the day after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks.[23]

2018

New York supported the reception night for the 23rd International Seapower Symposium at the Naval War College in Newport, RI in September 2018.[24] In November, the ship supported Exercise Trident Juncture, a large scale NATO exercise involving more than 50,000 personnel, 65 ships, and 250 aircraft, including 14,000 American troops, a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and an Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG).[25]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "USS New York (LPD 21)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Navy Secretary Assigns New Ship Name New York". Navy News Service (Press release). 10 September 2002. NNS020910-10. Retrieved 25 July 2016. "USS New York will play an important role in our Navy's future and will be a fitting tribute to the people of the Empire State," England said.
  3. ^ a b "USS New York (LPD 21)". USS New York Commissioning Committee. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. ^ "USS New York Shifts Homeport". Seapower. 23 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b "USS New York (LPD 21): History". United States Navy. Retrieved 25 July 2016. USS New York (LPD 21) is the fifth U.S. ship named for the state of New York.
  6. ^ "LPD-21 New York". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  7. ^ a b "USS New York LPD-21 - Forged from the steel of the World Trade Center". ussnewyork.com. US Navy. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  8. ^ Hajela, Deepti (2 November 2009). "Ship Built With WTC Steel Comes to Namesake City". ABCNews.go.com. ABC. Associated Press. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  9. ^ Paisley, Pinch (1 March 2008). "USS New York Christened". Defense Tech. Military Advantage. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Navy Ship with WTC Steel Survived Katrina's Assault". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. 4 April 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  11. ^ "USS New York (LPD 21) | The Official Website. Commissioning Event Information". Ussny.org. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  12. ^ Baldwin, Tom (22 May 2005). "Warship Built Out of Twin Towers Wreckage". The Times. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  13. ^ "The Christening". ussnewyork.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  14. ^ "USS New York to stop in Norfolk". ussnewyork.com. 20 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 November 2009.
  15. ^ Graham, MC1 Shawn D. (14 October 2009). "USS New York Departs the Banks of the Mississippi". Headquarters Marine Corps. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 15 October 2009.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) (4 November 2009). "Navy To Commission Amphibious Transport Dock Ship 'New York'". U.S. Department of Defense.
  17. ^ "'Twin Towers' warship enters NY". BBC News. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  18. ^ "Colt-Pielstick PC2.5 STC". Fairbanks-Morse Engines. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  19. ^ "Power Solutions - Medium Speed, Four Stroke Diesel Engines" (PDF). Fairbanks-Morse Engines. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  20. ^ a b "History: USS New York, LPD 21". US Carriers.net. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  21. ^ Ecklund, Zane P. (11 June 2012). "Another First for USS 'New York' During Maiden Deployment". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  22. ^ Schmidt, Michael S.; Schmitt, Eric (29 June 2014). "Libyan suspected in Benghazi mission attack arrives in Washington". The New York Times. p. A4. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  23. ^ "Irma's trail of destruction in Florida Keys revealed". Fox News. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  24. ^ "Global Leaders Assemble at 23rd International Seapower Symposium". usnwc.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Trident Juncture Wraps Up After Successful Amphibious Landings, Training Ashore in Norway". USNI News. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS New York (LPD-21).
Northrop Grumman
San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks
Categories