Memorable Steel

I didn't know about this: The US Navy is constructing a ship with steel from the World Trade Center, and it's already survived Hurricane Katrina:

USS New York is about 45 percent complete and should be ready for launch in mid-2007. Katrina disrupted construction when it pounded the Gulf Coast last summer, but the 684-foot vessel escaped serious damage, and workers were back at the yard near New Orleans two weeks after the storm.

The ship was an impetus for many of the yard's thousands of workers to return to the job, even though hundreds lost their homes, Quaglino and others said.

USS New York is the fifth in a new class of warship designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Strictly on a metallurgical level, I'm a little surprised that steel from the towers could be reused in this fashion -- I would think there would be issues of stress and fatigue. However, I would also note that my understanding of this particular subject is extremely limited, and I also suspect the US Navy would not compromise the integrity of one of its ships simply for the sake of a gesture. So if that steel's in there, I would think it's good steel.

Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry

This entry has 3 comments: (Add your own)

#3 Comment from monponsett
4/4/06 1:28 PM | Permalink

I used to take my students to the docks in Boston/Charlestown/Fall River whenever battleships called there. We saw dozens of ships- mostly US Navy, but we saw Italian ships, an old East German destroyer, and a Russian sub.

If you ask Navy people nicely, they assign somebody to show you around the ships. We saw a troop transport vessel (which sounds a lot like the USS New York) that was so heavily armed with impressive weaponry that half of my kids wanted to enlist. They had the jeeps with machine guns and rockets, light tanks... it rocked.

The Navy can bring the ruckus if they want to. I saw a lot of impressive missles, torpedos, and stuff on just about every ship I toured. The oil spill ship we saw was armed.

Weaponry is fun when some sailor- not much older than my students, and often from Alabama or Kansas- spoke lovingly of what a particular machine gun (the barrel was bigger than both of my fists laced together) would do to the innocent people eating 100 yards away at the Tavern On The Water..."Aimed at that tavern, all you'd see is flying glass, splintering wood, and clouds of blood."

He also answered a question pretty much like this... "I guess if you had the right angle and had them up against a wall, this gun could make hamburger out of someone."
#2 Comment from teeisme57
4/4/06 1:25 PM | Permalink

Sadly, most of the steel was sold to foreign countries (China and Korea to name a few) and made into commerative coins for other people to profit from.
#1 Comment from plittle
4/4/06 1:18 PM | Permalink

From the article: "Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, La., to cast the ship's bow section." So, they're not just slapping twisted girders into place as they build the ship. They are reforging the steel. In this case, it will be as good as new steel.
-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/

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Memorable Steel