Monday, April 8, 2013
Ship lauded for its design, ability.
NORFOLK — The USS Arlington was commissioned this weekend before an estimated 5,000 people and formally joined the Navy's fleet of warships. The ship is 684 feet long and weighs about 24,900 tons. It's designed to carry ground and some air vehicles close to shore in hostile situations. "We are not a memorial. We are a warship," Cmdr. Darren Nelson told reporters on Friday. "But we carry the spirit of those 184 people who died that day." The ship is laden with reminders of the men and women who died at the Pentagon on 9/11 and the first responders who assisted that day. The commissioning ceremony Saturday was emotional at times. Military leaders took care to highlight the ship's connection to its namesake county. "You don't get to do this …
Crew shares stories of what the name Arlington means to them.
NORFOLK — Every crew member who reports to the USS Arlington "learns and understands that 184 people gave their lives for us," according to Cmdr. Darren Nelson, the ship's commanding officer. The number is represented several ways in the ship's design, reminding its crew of the men and women who died in Arlington on 9/11. Some sailors were only 10 years old when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Others were adults and felt the call to join the military. Officers shared the experience with others who were already serving. About 50 people who lost a loved one at the Pentagon on 9/11 were at Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday for the commissioning of the USS Arlington. Some 5,000 people attended. More:
One leg of every Pentagon symbol aboard the USS Arlington is darkened to highlight the southwest wall that a plane crashed into on 9/11.
NORFOLK — One leg of every Pentagon symbol aboard the USS Arlington is darkened to remind its crew of the southwest wall of the structure that a plane crashed into on 9/11. Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz, who served as incident commander at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, said he was glad to see all the "touches from home" aboard the USS Arlington. The U.S. Navy commissioned the ship this weekend at Naval Station Norfolk. The Arlington County Fire Department had about 30 firefighters and their families at the commissioning ceremony, which saw some 5,000 people attend. Fire Capt. Bo Bennett, who responded to the Pentagon on 9/11, told Patch that the chief planned to present a special plaque to the Arlington's commanding officer…
Symbols that connect ship, county abound new Navy vessel.
NORFOLK — The USS Arlington, a landing platform dock, commissioned this weekend was the third Navy vessel to be named for Arlington County. The first was a World War II-era transport ship; the second, a Vietnam-era communications ship. Arlington County Board Chairman Walter Tejada this weekend delivered a candelabra from the second ship to the commander of the new one, adding to a long list of connections between the ship and its namesake. County officials said they viewed the ship not only as a source of pride, but also as a continuation of the relationship between Arlington and the military, particularly the Navy and Marine Corps. More:
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Ship honors 9/11 victims and first responders.
NORFOLK — Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but the image of the USS Arlington at port, its crew standing at attention facing a crowd of thousands, needs only one: Resolve. The 24,900-ton warship is one of three to be named for the victims and first responders of 9/11. It was commissioned Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk and will join the U.S. Navy's fleet of 283 warships. About 50 people who lost a loved one in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks were at the ceremony. Official crowd estimates pegged attendance at more than 5,000 people. Navy Seaman Recruit Edward Florentino, a native of Scranton, Pa., was 10 years old on 9/11. His uncle — Arlington resident Charles Sabin, who had been a senior manager in the Defense Department's …
Latest addition to Navy fleet was commissioned Saturday.
NORFOLK — It's almost fitting that the son of a history teacher would helm a warship whose namesake plays such a key role in modern history. The USS Arlington is U.S. Navy Cmdr. Darren Nelson's first command. Nelson, 42, is a Rushville, Neb., native and a decorated officer who has completed several tours. The father of three has spent much of the last four years in Mississippi, where the Arlington was built. For this, he apologized to his wife on Saturday during an emotional speech at the USS Arlington's commissioning ceremony. "Thank you," he told her from the podium as a young sailor brought her a bouquet of flowers. "I love you more and more each year." Nelson also apologized to his children for missing birthdays, softball games and …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The USS Arlington is 643 feet long and weighs near 25,000 tons. It will be commissioned Saturday in Norfolk.
NORFOLK — Plenty of reminders of 9/11 are scattered about the USS Arlington, a 24,900-ton landing platform dock set to be commissioned by the U.S. Navy today. One hundred eighty-four stars are painted in various places — some near the mess hall, for instance, a few more near the ship's store and elsewhere. They were placed where the ship's 1,200-member crew likely aren't to be consumed by their duties so they can reflect on the 184 lives lost when a plane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. The USS Arlington is a San Antonio-class ship. It can carry some aircraft but is primarily used to transport ground vehicles and personnel. At 684 feet long, sailors and Marines consider it a smaller ship; its size allows it to maneuver close …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Supporters hope to raise $500,000 for the ship's 9/11 tribute room aboard the USS Arlington.
The USS Arlington will be commissioned this weekend at Naval Station Norfolk, but fundraising for this county's contribution to the ship will continue past that. Supporters hope to raise $500,000, with the bulk of that money going to a 9/11 tribute room aboard the ship, Arlington County Treasurer Frank O'Leary told Patch recently. O'Leary is on the ship's commissioning committee. So far, only about $362,000 has been collected — and that includes a $50,000 donation from Arlington County. "We're going to continue fundraising. And anybody and everybody who can contribute money, I hope they do. Because it's obviously going to a good cause. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, the idea of having a ship named the USS Arlington." The Arlington, …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Arlington is one of three vessels to be named in honor of the victims and first responders on 9/11.
The USS Arlington, one of three Navy vessels to be named in honor of the victims and first responders on 9/11, recently arrived at its new home port of Naval Station Norfolk. It will be formally commissioned on April 6. Several Arlington County officials were present for the ship's arrival on Friday. "I got to spend the day with a number of first responders from Arlington and the region. The ship arrived with a beautiful large American flag billowing in the wind," Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey said in a recent email to campaign supporters. "When it docked for the first time, all the shore vehicles sounded their sirens in greeting. I suddenly remembered all the sirens on 9/11 when they signaled a terrible emergency. But on …
Monday, March 25, 2013
The USS Arlington will be commissioned on April 6.
The U.S. Navy issued the following news release regarding the USS Arlington arriving at Naval Station Norfolk on Friday. A special salute by more than 30 Arlington County and Pentagon first responders welcomed the crew of the multi-mission, amphibious ship as she pulled in pierside. Alongside Sailors' family and friends were members of the ship's namesake Police Department, Fire Department and other emergency services personnel who were the initial responders at the Pentagon immediately following the 9/11 attack. The ship was named in remembrance of the 184 heroes and victims who died that morning in Arlington. "I look forward to boarding the ship I have heard so much about and knowing what it represents," said Arlington County Police Capt…
Kev C.
7:44 pm on Monday, April 15, 2013
Great Pics. I love the ones of all the sailors and marines manning the rails and under the huge tilt-rotors of the Osprey Aircrafts. Also the pic of the Battle Flag. Makes me miss not being in the Navy anymore. Godspeed, Fair winds and Following Seas. more ›