It is the fifth in a new class of
warships - 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.

Steel from the   World   Trade   Center  was melted
down in a foundry in   Amite ,   LA to cast the ship's bow section. When
it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, 'those big rough  
steelworkers treated it with total reverence,' recalled Navy Capt.
Kevin Wensing, who was there. 'It was a spiritual moment for
everybody there.'

Junior Chavers, foundry operations
manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he
touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.' 'It had  
a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down.
They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.'

The ship's motto?

'Never Forget'