The hubster and I were invited to the commissioning of USS New York. A special day for a very special ship.
The commissioning of a ship is a celebration to welcome the ship and her crew into the fleet. But for USS New York, it was more than that.
7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center site are forged into the bow. The ship's motto, "Strength forged through Sacrifice. Never forget." reminds us of the terrorist attacks and pays tribute to all who were killed that day.
Because of the sun and shade, my photos are terrible. But I hope they capture some of the spirit. (Click on photo to make larger.)
The ceremony took place at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum's pier. This was opposite from where USS New York is docked. This sign was on the Intrepid.
The band was on the Intrepid also
The colorguard
A few of the thousand people who attended
A Marine and his gal friend
Sailors
At the end of the ceremony, USS New York's sponsor called out, "Bring the ship to life!" and the crew came running past us
and then lined up on USS New York's rail.
Godspeed.
****(Everybody else in the ABC Along is up to "V"--I'm trying to catch up. My ABCs are focusing on NYS/NYC)
7 comments:
Terrific post Mary. Thank you for these glimpses and getting to experience it all a bit. Looks like it was a beautiful, bright blue day and it must have been especially thrilling when the crew rushed on.
Who cares what letter you are on compared to other ABC people? I'm happy just to tag along and see NYS/NYC.
Beautiful.
Godspeed.
Wonderful! I saw pics in the NYT from the sailing into the harbor, brought tears to my eyes. I was once invited to the commissioning of a destroyer, but it was in Norfolk, VA and I couldn't get down there for it. I've always had a soft spot for the Navy...
How lucky you were to be there to witness that. Just reading about it gave me chills.
Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
Oh I saw it on the news but your post is much better. That ship makes me cry.
Great pictures! I was in the middle of a bunch of seats, so didn't actually see any of the manning of the ship, which is my favorite part of any ceremony in the Navy. Thanks for sharing your pictures!
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