USS Somerset Sea Trials
The Navy will commission the USS Somerset on March 1 in honor of the crew and passengers of United Airlines Flight 93.
The commissioning ceremony will take place at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, at 11:00 a.m. EST.
Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pa. on September 11th, 2001, after the flight was hijacked by terrorists. According to the Flight 93 National Memorial web page, the actions of the 40 passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 helped thwart the terrorists' planned attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In the weeks following 9/11, search and recovery workers were able to find more than 95 percent of the wreckage from Flight 93:
An American flag was hoisted on the top of a power shovel or "dragline" on a hill dominating the area. The dragline had been used in coal stripping at one time, and the equipment with the flag became a symbol of the effort.
In the summer of 2008, steel from the dragline's bucket was melted down and cast into Somerset's bow stem.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said of the commissioning:
"As we commission the Navy’s newest LPD, the USS Somerset, we remember the heroes of United Flight 93, whose selfless actions on Sept. 11, 2001, serve as an inspiration to us all.
"I have no doubt that the sailors and Marines who will serve aboard this ship will live up to the ship’s motto of ‘courage through adversity’ and proudly honor those who acted so heroically nearly 13 years ago.”
