Dotty England, wife of Gordon England, former Secretary of the Navy, arrives on a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter, Nov. 1, 2009, off the coast of New York. Dotty England is the sponsor of USS New York, which is slated to be commissioned, Nov. 7. "By Naval tradition, the sponsor is always a woman," said Dotty England, who was one of many visitors. "I think the whole country was impressed with New York's resiliency after 9/11," she said. With 7 1/2 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center forged in its bow, the ship symbolizes America's perseverance in the face of adversity while honoring the memory of those lost, paying homage to the survivors, and building an enduring bond between the ship and the people of the state of New York. During the visit, England and other guests learned about equipment from the Marines of the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 26. SPMAGTF-26 is supporting USS New York's commissioning by representing future Marine expeditionary forces that will deploy on and from a vessel designed and built around the Navy-Marine Corps team. As the newest Landing Platform Dock in the U.S. Navy's fleet, USS New York boasts a larger flight deck and well deck, and has many other improvements designed to allow Marines to prepare for and execute missions quicker and more efficiently than previous versions of the LPD. USS New York is scheduled to arrive in New York City, Nov. 2, and will be open to public tours where the embarked Marines will display their gear and interact with visitors.