USS New York ( LPD - 21 ) USS " New York " ( LPD - 21 ) , the fifth " San Antonio " - class amphibious transport dock , is the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named after the state of New York . " New York " has a crew of 360 and can carry up to 700 Marines . It is notable for using a symbolic amount of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center after it was destroyed in the September 11 attacks . Construction . The ship is the first to be designed fully from the CAD - screen up to support all of the Marines ' primary mobility capabilities — Landing Craft Air Cushion and MV - 22B Osprey . Shortly after 11 September 2001 , Governor of New York George E . Pataki wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Gordon R . England requesting that the Navy bestow the name " " New York " " on a surface warship involved in the War on Terrorism in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks . The contract to build " New York " was awarded to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of New Orleans , Louisiana , in 2003 . " New York " was under construction in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 . Sister ships announced . On 9 September 2004 Secretary England announced that two of " New York " sister ships will be named and in commemoration of the places where two of the other planes used in the attack came down : Arlington County , Virginia , and Somerset County , Pennsylvania . Christening . " New York " was christened on 1 March 2008 , in a ceremony at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans . Dotty England , the ship ’ s sponsor , smashed the traditional champagne bottle on the ship ’ s bow and christened the ship " New York " . Several dignitaries were in attendance , including Louisiana Congressman William J . Jefferson , Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R . England , members of the New York City Police Department and the New York City Fire Department , and family members of 11 September victims . The champagne bottle did not break the first time it was struck against the hull of the ship , but the second attempt was successful . The ship was delivered to the Navy on 21 August 2009 at New Orleans . The ship ' s delivery was accepted by its first commanding officer , ( then CDR ) CAPT F . Curtis Jones , USN , a native of Binghamton , New York . She set sail for Norfolk , Virginia , on 13 October 2009 . On 2 November 2009 the ship passed the World Trade Center site for the first time and gave the site a 21 - gun salute . Commissioning and trials . The ship commissioning of USS " New York " took place on 7 November 2009 , in New York City . Speakers included Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton , Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus , Gov . David Paterson , Mayor Michael Bloomberg , Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead , and Commandant of the Marine Corps General James T . Conway . Approximately one in seven of the plank owner s are from New York state , a larger number than usual . On 11 January 2010 , the Navy announced that the ship would have to undergo repairs for faulty engine parts after a premature failure of bearings on the ship ’ s main propulsion diesel engines during a week long sea trial following the November commissioning . The Navy did not say how long the ship would be docked . The current Commanding Officer is CAPT Jon C . Kreitz . Service history . On 10 Jun 2012 the ship was deployed for the first time to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf region . It deployed with Marines from 1st Battalion , 2d Marine Regiment , 2d Marine Division and returned in December 2012 along with the USS Iwo Jima and the USS Gunston Hall with Marines from the same unit attached to all three ships .