A military band played and sailors fired off cannons as the Navy began a ceremony to commission its newest assault ship forged with tons of steel from the World Trade Center.

Hundreds of sailors and officers stood at attention on a chilly Saturday morning as the Navy put the USS New York into service at a pier in New York City.

The new vessel was decked in red, white and blue bunting for the ceremony, which started with a moment of silence for those whose lives were lost on Sept. 11. 2001.

The $1 billion warship was built near New Orleans by workers who survived Hurricane Katrina.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was on hand for the ceremony.