Assault craft sailors aboard the USS New York are not your everyday Navy

This isn't your everyday Navy...and these aren't your typical sailors.

"Its not the standard, everyday Navy. Everytime we leave the beach or leave the well deck we are doing something different. Its not the same thing, time in and time out. It's always something new," said David Rader of Assault Craft Unit Four.

These men and women are part of the Navy's Little Creek based Assault Craft Unit Four. The high-speed vessel they are riding on is called a landing craft air cushion, or LCAC.

The LCAC helps move equipment like tanks and humvees from the ships to the shore and vice versa, but that's not all.

"Doesn't just provide a maritime security humanitarian aide, we help support those missions," said Senior Chief Michael Waranis.

Waranis is the pilot and commander of this LCAC unit.

"It's a big responsibility because I embark multimillion dollar pieces of equipment and have to transport them safely from the beach to the ship and support ship in whatever they do."

The LCAC's latest mission is helping to move marines and their equipment from Camp Lejune to the USS New York in preparation for this weekend'd big commissioning.

It's a task they say they are proud to take on.

"Very proud...very proud. It's not every day you get to commission a ship, let alone one of this caliber," Rader added.

"The challenge and the knowledge that you gain from doing this, you gain a pride in self and pride in country that we can do this."

*See video @ - http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-mw-uss-ny,0,4506644.story

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USS New York arrival garners a great deal of attention

 

The USS New York maneuvering into her berth at Pier 88.  The ship will be open for tours during the week.

On a particularly gray day, the type of gray only achievable in New York City, the USS New York arrived in grand style, made a brief appearance in Lower Manhattan to offer a twenty one gun salute in honor of the fallen on 9-11, then glided easily upstream to come about near the George Washington Bridge, and then slide into a berth at Pier 88 just across from the Intrepid Air, Sea, Space museum.  The City's NYC.gov page warned lower-Manhattanites that there would be repetitive loud sounds and not to be alarmed.  The ship's construction is a tribute to modern Naval architecture and technology, in terms of amphibious tactical vehicles, it boasts a wide range of impressive structural cues, as well as armaments that make it a formidable opponent.  It's maiden voyage in the nautical footsteps of Henry Hudson is also significant for the fact that a section of its nearly 700 foot length is forged partly from 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center site.

 In an unprecedented show of hospitality, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg was welcomed aboard to watch the Yankees trounce the Phillies again last night.  Further festivities this morning included an honor guard including pipers and drums from the NYPD, and members from the NY Guard, NY National Guard, and several other branches that all had first responders that rushed to the WTC disaster.  Mayor Bloomberg officially welcomed the crew and commanders to NYC this morning after the ship docked. 

Veterans and civilians alike showed up en masse to view and take photos of the Navy's newest addition.  Police presence and security was tight, with armed guards at the gates preventing anyone from getting in.  On the greenway bike path however, it was clear that a stream of Vietnam era and younger veterans - proudly displaying caps with their theater and ship - were on their way to view the New York.

 The ship is capable of carrying a buffet of operational delights, including (but not limited to) MV-22 Ospreys, AH1 SuperCobras, CH-46E Sea Knights, and CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters, along with men and supplies.  The aerial vehicles are accompanied by spaces below decks for Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles, and other amphibious assault craft.  The sight of the ship is truly one to behold as an advance in the military technology of today: what appear to be smoke stacks are in fact arrays of sensors, with a separate helicopter control deck in the aft portion,

The Marine Expeditionary Unit assigned to the ship has front loaded its 21st Century interaction: you can follow them on Twitter, see videos of them on YouTube, and pictures of them on Flickr.  Below is a Norhtrop-Grumman sponsored video of the ships trial run in the Gulf of Mexico.

http://www.examiner.com/x-20302-CUNY-Examiner~y2009m11d2-USS-New-York-arrival-garners-a-great-deal-of-attention

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Those aboard were awakened Monday at 4 a.m., earlier than usual, with reveille whistles followed by the crackly sound of Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” over the loudspeaker. As the rest of those on board were eating pancakes and eggs in the galley or donning dress uniforms, those on the red-lighted bridge of the ship assumed a quiet intensity in anticipation of the final navigation into and up the Hudson River.

About 5 a.m., a small boat sped alongside the warship and Neil Keating, 52, a harbor pilot, clambered up the gray metal exterior to help guide the ship through the busy waters. Keating, 52, had requested the assignment more than a year ago because his brother, a firefighter, died when the towers collapsed.

“Today is bittersweet,” said Keating, who has helped ships travel in the harbor for more than 30 years. “For me, it’s an honor to be on board, but you hate to be on board for the reasons I am here. I think my brother would have been proud of me.”

By 6:30 a.m., the first of the sailors and Marines were making their way to the decks, to stake out good spots for the entry into the harbor. Some were excited about seeing New York for the first time, while others were enjoying the prospect of such a grand arrival to the area where they grew up.

“We’re riding through like the Cadillac of the fleet that we are,” said Sharef

Talbert, 30, a petty officer first class from Newark, who has been readying the ship for its arrival since February. “There is no better way to ride into New York.”

As the ship continued up river, helicopters rattled overhead and the surrounding waters filled with other vessels — police boats, tugs, barges, pleasure craft, and fireboats transformed into floating fountains. Spectators watched from the Circle Line. Rounding Battery Park, Cmdr. Erich B. Schmidt, the executive officer, spoke to the crew through a loudspeaker. “You’ve done a great job getting us here,” he said. “Enjoy it. That’s all.”

The ship came to a stop adjacent to ground zero, where a large crowd of onlookers had gathered along the shoreline, the military men lifted their hands in a long salute, followed by an honorary firing of guns. Some visibly teared up during the brief tribute.

Afterward, the ship continued up the Hudson past the Firemen’s Memorial, at 100th Street, which in the weeks after 9/11 New Yorkers filled with baskets of flowers, loose candles and sorrowful notes, and which to many still evokes the losses of that day. Passers-by stopped to watch the spectacle of the enormous warship heading toward the George Washington Bridge.

When the ship finally eased into to its berth in Midtown at 10 a.m., the front section of bow, where the celebrated section of steel breaks the waves, already revealed the early, unavoidable streaks of rust of a ship at sea.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/story/8F4F578BC138132C8625766300174562?OpenDocument

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Good videos and story's. I hear that Fox News will be on board either this week or next week for a tour. Will be great to watch.

Looking at these brought tears to my eyes.

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I had a great time last night browsing the internet looking for more news regarding the USS New York 21... an amazing and profound ship indeed.

God Bless and keep her and those who serve her safe and well.

God Bless those who gave their lives for her...

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i plan on going there on monday , after all the hoopla to check the ship out .. i'll post camera phone pics if i get any good ones

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Hi Tony! I cannot wait until you go there and post some photo's for us!

Maybe you can put "Hey C2" on a poster board or something lol and maybe a few names like Lena Corkie or just Corkie, maybe Barb, Michele or Robert the Bruce... lol or all of us. Don't forget Eric C2's BEST ever admin too lol. What an honor that would be!

I hope to get over that way myself one of these days. I think I would be paralyzed with honor.

Do you live far from there?

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I live in Brooklyn

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