October 13, 2009, 6:30AM
Under the threat of rain and a veil of security, the USS New York will leave the New Orleans area Tuesday morning after more than three years of construction at Avondale, feted by what organizers hope will be thousands of people gathered along the Mississippi River to see the ship off.
Final details set for departure of USS New York
By Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune
Under the threat of rain and a veil of security, the USS New York will leave the New Orleans area Tuesday morning after more than three years of construction at Avondale, feted by what organizers hope will be thousands of people gathered along the Mississippi River to see the ship off.
The 684-foot amphibious transport dock ship -- whose bow stem contains about 7 1/2 tons of steel from the World Trade Center, felled during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -- also will receive two 21-gun salutes during its trek from Northrop Grumman's Avondale shipyard to the Gulf of Mexico.
The USS New York will head to its namesake city, where it will be commissioned Nov. 7. Then it will move to its homeport of Norfolk, Va.
"It's been a long day coming for a lot of people, " ship Cmdr. Curt Jones told his crew and shipbuilders aboard the ship in August.
After the $1.2 billion ship leaves Avondale about 7 a.m., with a Coast Guard escort, its voyage will be punctuated by gatherings along the river, sponsored by military and civilian groups.
more here:
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/post_42.htmlI plan to be on the levee in the English Turn area to get photos of this event, and will post pictures later today....
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Topic: Departure of USS New York (Read 1140 times)