The USS New York (LPD 21), the U.S. Navy’s tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, is changing homeport, one of the consequences resulting from the decommissioning of the carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67). The landing platform dock, or LPD left Norfolk, Va. for her new home of Mayport, Fla., near Jacksonville.

The USS New York is the first of three ships in an amphibious-ready group (ARG) being relocated to Mayport.

The USS New York is the first of three ships in an amphibious-ready group (ARG) being relocated to Mayport. New York will be joined by the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and amphibious dock-landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), the triad of warships that make up the Iwo Jima ARG. They are assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eight, based at Little Creek, Va., part of the Hampton Roads naval complex. The other two ships will move later this year.

Mayport was home to the John F. Kennedy, the last conventional-powered aircraft carrier built in the U.S., which was decommissioned in 2007. Since then, a number of Mayport based guided missile frigates have been or are scheduled to be retired. Although the Virginia congressional delegation fought the move, the reallocation of fleet assets helps provide some balance to keep Mayport viable, although the 2,000 sailors and their families don’t fully compensate for the carrier.

The move “underscores just how important Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport are to national defense and how committed we are to strategic dispersal on the east coast.”

When announced last year, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said the move “underscores just how important Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport are to national defense and how committed we are to strategic dispersal on the east coast.”

The USS New York is unique in that steel from the World Trade Center, destroyed on 9/11, was used in her construction. The ship’s bow section contains 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site.