The USS Arlington, one of three Navy vessels to be named in honor of the victims and first responders on 9/11, recently arrived at its new home port of Naval Station Norfolk. It will be formally commissioned on April 6.

Several Arlington County officials were present for the ship's arrival last week. "I got to spend the day with a number of first responders from Arlington and the region. The ship arrived with a beautiful large American flag billowing in the wind," Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey said in a recent email to campaign supporters.

"When it docked for the first time, all the shore vehicles sounded their sirens in greeting. I suddenly remembered all the sirens on 9/11 when they signaled a terrible emergency. But on Friday, over a decade later, they were sounded in celebration of the ship and the first responders who protect us every day. It was an emotional moment for me." The USS Arlington is the eighth San Antonio class of landing platform docks, or LPDs. Such ships are about 684 feet long, carry a crew of 360 sailors and can support a surge force of up to 800 Marines.

The USS New York was commissioned in November 2009 and completed a nine-month deployment this past December, according to a U.S. Navy news release. The USS Somerset, which honors the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 — killed when the plane crashed in Somerset County, Pa., is under construction in New Orleans.

The USS Arlington's keel was laid in December 2008 in Pascagoula, Miss. Steel girders from the Pentagon are embedded in the keel, said Arlington County Treasurer Frank O'Leary, who is on the ship's commissioning committee.

Last year, USS Arlington sailors performed more than 4,800 hours of community service, according to the Navy.