9/11 steel ship arrives in NY

The new Navy assault ship USS New York, built with World Trade Center steel, has arrived in its namesake city near the site of the 2001 terrorist attack to a 21-gun salute.

The new Navy assault ship USS New York, built with World Trade Center steel, has arrived in its namesake city near the site of the 2001 terrorist attack to a 21-gun salute.

First responders, families of September 11 victims and the public were invited to a viewing area, where they could see the crew standing at attention along the ship's deck.

The big ship paused. Then the 21 shots were fired, in bursts of three.

The bow of the ship, built in Louisiana, contains about 7.5 tonnes of WTC steel.

Take a bow: The bow of the ship has been built using seven and a half tonnes of steel recovered from the fallen WTC.

"What better way for our young men and women that are going to be on the USS New York to feel the spirit of our country than to have this ship have the steel in the bow that represents not the bad but the good of our country," said Lee Ielpi, who lost his firefighter son, Jonathan, on 9/11.

'Never forget'

The memory of the attacks is etched on the crest of the ship, which features a phoenix rising from the twin towers with the words, 'Never Forget.'

The ship weighs more than 25,000 tonnes and is as long as two football fields. Thirteen per cent of the 361 crew members hail from the state of New York.