Another good use for the steel:
Posted on 09/08/2003 2:26:22 PM PDT by demlosers
A Navy vessel, one day to be christened the USS New York, will bring to life a fallen icon of the city that suffered most from the terrorist attacks two years ago.
On Tuesday, workers from the Amite Foundry and Machine Inc. will melt down 24 tons of steel that once formed the shell of the World Trade Center, and begin the process of resurrecting it, in a manner of speaking.
At 2,850 degrees Fahrenheit, the steel will soften. From a 50-ton capacity ladle, the melted steel will be poured into a sand mold containing an imprint for the bow-stem casting for the Navy’s next LPD San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, being built by Northrup Grumman Ship Systems.
“This symbolizes and recognizes the great courage of the people of New York. … There’s quite a symbolic link in the name, and now we’re using the steel from the World Trade Center in the forward part of the hull that literally breaks the waves,” said Fred Lash, spokesman of Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees the construction of ships.
“The curvature of that part of the bow literally is the most forward extension of the ship and when it sails into missions in the future, it’ll be that steel up front that leads the way, and will have with it the hardness and dedication and spirit of the people of New York,” Lash said.
Each of the Navy’s LPD will be named for cities. The New York, the fifth in a planned 12-vessel series, is preceded by the lead ship San Antonio, followed by the New Orleans, Mesa Verde and then the Green Bay.
And so, there’s a somber excitement brewing in Amite, La. — and yes, you can have both simultaneously, said Wayne Peterson, spokesman for Amite Foundry and Machine.
“We feel there is a lot of emotion involved in this, and all of us feel grateful we’ve been chosen to do this work, and that’s why we’re having a ceremony to celebrate that,” Peterson said of Tuesday’s planned festivities.
“But it’s a somber excitement.”
To commemorate that somberness, that excitement, New Yorkers will travel to Louisiana to catch a glimpse of the notable process, New Yorkers such as representatives from the city fire department, Port Authority, and police department — each of which lost comrades in rescue attempts at the World Trace Center following the infamous terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Former Navy Secretary Gordon England, now the deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department, will attend with his wife, Dotty England, the ship’s sponsor. Gov. George Pataki and city mayor Michael Bloomberg have been invited.
A year ago, England announced the decision to name the fifth amphibious transport dock ship of the San Antonio class after the Big Apple.
“This new class of ships will project American power to the far corners of the earth and support the cause of freedom well into the 21st century,” England had said.
“From the war for independence through the war on terrorism, which we wage today, the courage and heroism of the people of New York has been an inspiration. 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.”
As do I. The RAM is great for point defense, but the ESS would have been a really nice additional layer of self-defense.
I know thay are counting on the Burke's and the Tico's...but that additional level of protection should be there for these high value ships IMHO.
Another good use for the steel:
The thing about RAM is it was designed specifically for Anti-ASM. (Stinger seeker head mounted on a Sidewinder airframe...comes 21 to a pack). The enhanced Sea Sparrow is more of an anti-aircraft design, and only have 8 per launcher...also takes more time to reload. RAM can be reloaded by two guys and a rail...Sea Sparrow is too big to be manhandled in the confined space around the launcher.
RAM is designed to be salvo fired at incoming missiles and is fire and forget. ESS has to have radar lock on the incoming tgt throughout the engagement sequence.
Unfortunately carriers tend to get named after politicians, which is OK when one means "Teddy Roosevelt", "George Washington", "Eisenhower", or even Reagan or GHW Bush, (the next two) but Vinson and Stennis? Stennis already had a space center named after him, he didn't need a carrier too. Besides, if we are naming them after friendly polycritters, why is there no USS Scoop Jackson? And will there be a "USS Strom Thurman"? I sort of doubt it unless it's a destroyer or frigate.
The garbage scow will be re-named the "Bent One".
That was my point in mentioning it. It would be nice to have both.
IMHO, the ESS and other such medium range systems needs to evolve into a AMRAAM derivative.
USS William J. Clinton
The original set of LPD's -- 1 to 15 -- were all started in the 1960's and commissioned by 1972-73. They were all named after cities. I spent almost a year on the LPD-10 (USS Juneau) during construction, and got to sail on her during both her Builder's Trial and Preliminary Acceptance Trail. The ships were big and were worthy warships to carry city names.
What I find interesting is that the new class has most of the basic lines of their predecessors -- but with a lot of streamlining.
...and those supercharged diesels for the LPD 17 class aint our daddy's diesels. There are four, producing 10,400hp each
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