Bartlett grad among sailors on USS New York
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For Joseph Carter, working aboard the USS New York, which contains more than 7 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in its bow, signifies freedom and perseverance.
Nearly 15 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Carter, a 2011 graduate of Bartlett High School, is a gunner’s mate on the Navy ship. His responsibilities include weapons, ammunition and security on the 684-foot, 24,000-ton ship, which can transport 700 Marines plus equipment for warfare and humanitarian missions.
“What I like most about my job is the responsibility of teaching my fellow sailors how to properly shoot and handle weapons aboard New York,” Carter said.
The port for USS New York is Mayport, Florida, and a crew of more than 400 people work on the ship. The motto of USS New York is “Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.”
“The sailors who serve aboard USS New York are exceptional in so many ways,” the ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Kenneth M. Coleman, said in a statement. “They represent some of the hardest-working and most dedicated Americans I have served with in 25 years of naval service. They exhibit an impressive level of pride for serving onboard a ship that means so much to so many Americans. I am honored to lead this crew and be a part of the special bond that this ship and her crew shares with her namesake.”
The USS New York, an amphibious transport dock ship, is one of the Navy’s most advanced amphibious ships, “capable of transporting the Marines and landing them where they are needed via helicopters, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and landing craft . ... It has four diesel engines that can push the ship through the water in excess of 26 mph,” the Navy said. Northrop Grumman built