A military band played and sailors fired off cannons as the Navy began a ceremony to commission its newest assault ship forged with tons of steel from the World Trade Center.
Jersey City, N.J. firefighters stand at attention as the Navy assault ship USS New York, built in Louisiana with tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center, arrives in New York Harbor Monday, Nov. 2, 2009. The New York is 684 feet (209 meters) long and can carry up to 800 Marines. The $1 billion ship named to commemorate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be commissioned Nov. 7. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Hundreds of sailors and officers stood at attention on a chilly Saturday morning as the Navy put the USS New York into service at a pier in New York City.
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The new vessel was decked in red, white and blue bunting for the ceremony, which started with a moment of silence for those whose lives were lost on Sept. 11. 2001.
The $1 billion warship was built near New Orleans by workers who survived Hurricane Katrina.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was on hand for the ceremony.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
