World Trade Center warship launched
The USS New York makes its maiden voyage on the Hudson River
Sunday, 08, Nov 2009 08:25
By Alistair Potter.
An American warship has been launched in New York, which is made of steel salvaged from the city's former World Trade Center.
The vessel, dubbed 'the Twin Towers', is officially christened as the USS New York and was constructed in Louisiana at a cost of just over £1 billion (£600 million).
Finished last month, the USS New York was officially commissioned on Saturday from a port in Manhattan - attended by hundreds of servicemen, sailors and families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
The amphibious ship is reported to contain 7.5 tonnes of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center site and melted down.
The outer design features a number of poignant articles, including an image of the Twin Towers on its crest and the colours of the city departments - including police and fire services - that first attended the terrorist attack in New York in 2001.
A US Navy spokesperson said the ship would act as a combat vessel as well as a living memorial to those who lost their lives in the deadliest attack on American soil.
More than 3,000 people were killed when two planes were flown into the iconic World Trade Center a little over eight years ago.