Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009
Ship represents strength of U.S.
E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeNEW YORK -- The USS New York, built with steel from the rubble of the World Trade Center, was put into service Saturday both as a symbol of healing and strength.
"No matter how many times you attack us, we always come back," Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said at the amphibious assault ship's commissioning. "America always comes back. That's what this ship represents."
He spoke on a Manhattan pier where hundreds of Navy officers and sailors joined first responders and families of Sept. 11 victims for the ceremony.
-
Here's a look at each stop on President Obama's trip to Asia:
Japan In Tokyo, Obama will reaffirm Japan's status as key regional security ally and could use a speech to outline his Asia policy.
He'll seek to ease Japanese sensitivities about whether the U.S. now cares more about China. Still, the Obama administration is off to an awkward start with the new Japanese government led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who came to power in September on populist promises, including that the Japanese must have more say over U.S. military bases there.
Singapore The APEC conference is a chance for the U.S. to re-engage on Asian trade. "There are more than 70 free trade arrangements in Asia right now, and the U.S. is only really involved in a very small handful," said Michael Green, a senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, and now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a center-right policy organization. However, Green said, the U.S. isn't ready to bring new agreements to the table.
China Obama and Chinese officials have a long list of topics to discuss: the economy, Afghanistan and Pakistan, arms control, North Korea and Iran, climate change and clean energy, as well as the thornier issues of human rights, democracy, religious freedom, the Dalai Lama, the rule of law and censorship in China.
The U.S. wants China to move toward a market-based value for its currency, and Obama has called for Americans to save more and China to consume more and rely less on exports.
"None of the great issues of the day can be addressed without Chinese cooperation," Bader said.
South Korea Congress hasn't ratified the Korea-U.S. Free Trade agreement reached during the Bush administration, and many Democrats want changes to it. It would be the biggest trade liberalization since the 1993 North-American Free Trade Agreement, but Congress isn't likely to take it up at least until it finishes with health care.
Still, Obama should find a friendly audience in Seoul. He'll meet with President Lee Myung-bak, assure South Koreans of the U.S. security commitment, talk about North Korea and visit with U.S. troops before heading home.
Source: Washington Bureau
"I hereby place the USS New York in commission," Mabus announced.
And with a long drum roll, the ship's crew was sent on its first watch, obeying the order, as traditionally worded: "Man our ship and bring her to life!"
From atop the vessel, decked in red, white and blue bunting, black smoke rose into the chilly fall morning to signal that the USS New York was powered up. A loud cheer accompanied a flyover by Navy planes.
The 7 1/2 tons of steel debris from the trade center site had been melted down to form the bow of the USS New York as "a symbol of our unshakable resolve; this is a city built of steel," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, representing the Obama administration.
She noted that many of New York's iconic buildings were forged from steel, from the Statue of Liberty to the Chrysler building.
"But the strongest steel of New York has always been in the spines of its people," Clinton said, calling New Yorkers "strivers and seekers, immigrants from every country, speakers of every language."
The USS New York's new skipper, Cmdr. Curtis Jones, is a native New Yorker.
The ceremony began with a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, where an Army major opened fire Thursday, fatally shooting 13 people.
The $1 billion vessel was built near New Orleans by workers who survived Hurricane Katrina.
"They had to rebuild their lives and their homes at the same time as they built the ship," said Irwin F. Edenzon, general manager for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast, which built the ship.
@Nyx.CommentBody@