By Becky Bohrer
The Associated Press

AVONDALE, La. — Thousands of people, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, gathered yesterday for a poignant service to christen a Navy ship built with twisted steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center.

The hulking gray USS New York, trimmed in red, white and blue banners, bore a seal on its bow, which contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site. The seal's shield includes two gray bars to symbolize the Twin Towers; a banner over it declares, "Never forget."

"May God bless this ship and all who sail on her," ship sponsor Dotty England said before smashing a bottle of champagne against it, producing a loud thump to go with the spurting liquid and flying streamers.

Story after story of lives lost in, and touched by, the attacks peppered the ceremony, held under the blazing sun and broadcast on large screens. It all brought back painful memories for New York Police Lt. Matt Murphy. But the reason for his being here was pride, he said.

"I tell you, it's a fantastic day. Sometimes you think you're over something, and then you realize you're not completely," he said, his eyes welling up as he looked off toward the ship.

Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told the crowd that ship names provide a legacy, and serve as a source of strength and inspiration for their crews.

The ship was planned before 9/11 but had no name. It became the USS New York at the request of then-Gov. George Pataki.

The steel from the World Trade Center is in the part of the ship that splices through the water, leading the way.

"It resurrects the ashes, so to speak, to do great things for our nation," said Bill Glenn, a spokesman for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, the ship's maker.

The vessel, a billion-dollar, 25,000-ton landing transport dock, is 684 feet long and 105 feet wide; it can carry about 360 sailors and 700 Marines along with helicopters and other equipment for an amphibious assault. Its prospective commanding officer is Cmdr. F. Curtis Jones, a native New Yorker. It is to be commissioned (essentially, added to the fleet) next year. It could be used on peaceful missions or in war, said Adm. Gary Roughead, the Navy's chief of operations.

That it could be used in war did not bother Lee Ielpi, president of the September 11th Families' Association, whose son, Jonathan, was a firefighter who died on 9/11. The ship won't be used for war "unless you bother us," he said in an interview.

"We're sending a message that we're standing strong," he said, adding: "This ship, as it cuts through the water, is going to send a ripple. That ripple will say we cherish our freedom."