After 9/11, a New York aircraft carrier became an emergency headquarters for more than 500 FBI agents; 25 years later, it is still turning the tragedy into public service

The Intrepid wasn’t an independent FBI facility. The museum complex also assisted FEMA and state and local emergency responders during the response. The ship’s flight deck served another unanticipated purpose, as a temporary helipad.

One morning that changed New York’s skyline forever, one of the city’s most unlikely buildings became a place of urgent work. Within hours of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Intrepid, a World War II aircraft carrier turned museum on Manhattan’s West Side, became an emergency command center for the FBI, states CBS News report. For weeks, hundreds of agents worked around the clock on the ship as investigators tried to bring order to the massive response to the attacks, the report adds. Twenty-five years later, the carrier is still a place where the events of that day are remembered, documented and turned into lessons for future generations. Scroll down to read the details.

Hudson emergency headquarter

The FBI’s New York field office is located at 26 Federal Plaza, a few blocks from the World Trade Center. The building was evacuated as the attacks unfolded, fearing it could be another target. The damage around the World Trade Center also struck vital communications links, making it more and more difficult for investigators to do their normal work. The Intrepid had space, and that’s what the FBI so sorely needed. The huge ship was turned into a makeshift workplace in a matter of hours. Tables were folded and set up, cables were strung through the interior, and temporary computer networks were established. For investigators accustomed to offices and existing infrastructure, the carrier became an ad hoc headquarters in an unprecedented crisis. According to CBS News report some 500 FBI agents worked on the huge investigation, taking the ship out on the water for weeks.

More than the F.B.I.

The Intrepid wasn’t an independent FBI facility. The museum complex also assisted FEMA and state and local emergency responders during the response. The ship’s flight deck served another unanticipated purpose, as a temporary helipad. Its location on the Hudson meant it had room to spread out and some separation from the destruction and chaos of Lower Manhattan. FBI personnel also worked out of another emergency command center established in the agency’s garage on 26th Street. Hundreds of cars had to be removed to make the space a working operational site. As the answer came forth, some agents ferried back and forth between the two sites.

A ship changed by history

The Intrepid had already had several lives before September 11. The aircraft carrier was launched during World War II and served in a number of conflicts before becoming a museum and National Historic Landmark. Its role in the aftermath of 9/11 added another chapter to that history. For the agents who worked there, the ship was more than a handy building. It was a place where investigators, emergency workers and support staff could collaborate while large swaths of lower Manhattan were off limits. Grief and uncertainty held the city outside in their grasp. Along the West Side Highway, people gathered, many holding American flags and signs of support for the people working on the response. Today, the Intrepid is a museum open to the public, preserving artifacts from America’s military and technological history. The site’s connection to September 11 imbues it with one more layer of importance: a reminder of how ordinary places can be transformed by extraordinary circumstances, and how a historic ship, built for war, became an emergency workplace when New York needed it most.Image Courtesy: Daily News