The USS New York, a warship built with 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, has arrived in New York City.

Families of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks along with the emergency crews and the public watched the USS New York sailing up the Hudson River to the vicinity of Ground Zero, where the warship saluted those killed in the 2001 terrorist incident with 21 gunshots.

"It's a transformation ... from something really twisted and ugly, " said Rosaleen Tallon, who lost her firefighter brother, Sean, on 9/11, the Associated Press reported. "I'm proud that our military is using that steel."

After the Ground Zero stop, the ship accompanied by about two dozen tugboats and other vessels headed up the Hudson River toward the George Washington Bridge.

The US Navy is to hold an official commissioning ceremony for the new warship on Saturday.

The USS New York has been designed for counter-terrorism operations, the 684-feet-long amphibious landing dock platform can deliver an entire battalion of 800 Marines anywhere on the planet.

Two hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, destroying the Twin Towers and killing nearly 2,800 people.

In September 2002, the US Defense Department announced the selection of New York as the ship's name, honoring the city and the state and those who died in the attacks.

RB/MMN