Results tagged “navy”

       

With a military flyover and cannons firing, the U.S. Navy's newest assault ship, the U.S.S. New York, was commissioned yesterday. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus referred to the fact that 7.5 tons of steel from the former World Trade Center was used to build the chip, "No matter how many times you attack us, we always come back. America always comes back. That's what this ship represents."

There are a handful of perks that come with being a Yankee fans: Having Jay-Z and Alicia Keys sing before the World Series, the finest (er, priciest) hot chocolate money can buy and even being able to catch the series while at sea.

Now that the World Trade Center's wreckage warship has set sail, it looks like the next 10 days of the USS New York's maiden voyage from the Big Easy to the Big Apple are going to be busy.

The building of the new Navy warship, the USS New York, has finally been completed and the ship is leaving the Louisiana shipyard for the Big Apple today. The 684 feet long and 105 feet wide ship, constructed by Northrup Grumman, was built with 7.5 tons of steel from WTC wreckage. It will be commissioned Nov. 7 in the city and then head to its homeport of Norfolk, VA.

     

Yesterday's Parade of Ships help begin the 22nd annual Fleet Week celebrations. Today's events include viewing of ships at Pier 45 in Manhattan and the Stapleton Pier in Staten Island, USMC/Air Ground airborne insertion/extraction of helicopters with combat Marines in Coney Island and Marine Day—with martial arts demonstrations and military working dogs (!)—in Central Park. Plus, at the Intrepid, it's the reopening of the Growler! More details here.

Fleet Week is officially kicked off, with today's Parade of Ships and the military flyover. You'll be seeing thousands of sailors, marines, and members of the Coast Guard around town over the next week—and you can also see them at special events (more details here). The event celebrates the sea services and yesterday rocker Joan Jett met some servicemen and servicewomen as she toured the USS Iwo Jima.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 22nd annual Fleet Week celebrations, which run through May 27. Thousands of sailors, marines, and Coast Guardsmen from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard will be on hand during this celebration of sea services. At 10 a.m., there will be a Parade of Ships, which will pass the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, proceed north through New York Harbor and the Hudson River, and to the George Washington Bridge. The ships will pass the WTC site between 11 a.m. and noon, and, according to the Navy, "each ship will render honors in memory of the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, 2001." And, there will also be a military flyover as part of the festivities—don't freak out!

With the U.S. Navy's rescue of an American container ship captain—and the killings of three Somali pirates who were holding him hostage—other pirates are promising to retaliate. One told the AP, "From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them [the hostages]. [U.S. forces have] become our No. 1 enemy." Another said, "Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying," while a third said, "Next time we get American citizens... they [should] expect no mercy from us."

Yesterday, a group of Somali pirates seized control of the American container ship Maersk Alabama off the coast of Africa. Though the crew managed to regain control of the ship (hence today's Post cover), the NY Times reports, "the pirates were still holding the ship’s captain as they fled the ship in an unpowered lifeboat."

Thousands of Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen will be descending on New York City as Fleet Week 2008 starts tomorrow. This year's flotilla includes five American warships and three Canadian ships, and there will be opportunities for the public to tour ships and see public demonstrations.

Yesterday, a christening ceremony was held in a Louisiana for the latest naval ship bearing the name USS New York. While there have been five other ships with the same name, this "amphibious transport dock ship" was named to honor the state after September 11.

The series of residential structures lining Flushing Ave. in Brooklyn are historic treasures, but they are a little the worse for wear and some legislators can't wait to tear them down. Officers' Row, or Admirals' Row, is a feature at the Brooklyn Navy Yard that has admittedly fallen into sad disrepair, but nonetheless has a rich history linking New York harbor to the naval industry that was a cornerstone of building the United States as an international power.