. >> reporter: scott koen vividly remembers the events of 9/11, the planes that crashed in washingtondc, pennsylvania and new york city. scott wanted to do something special to honor those caught up in the terrorist attacks. >> and so i developed a project called freedom plaza, which was to use the materials from the world trade center and make a large north american bald eagle out of it on the size and scale of the statue of liberty. >> reporter: scott designed the memorial to stand where the world trade center towers had fallen. but the city of new york was already developing other plans for the site, and scott's memorial was not destined to be part of them. then, late one night, he came up with another, even more ambitious idea. >> if we were going to use steel and aluminum in an eagle. we could use the steel in a ship. >> reporter: scott was familiar with navy ships. for years he had worked at the aircraft carrier museum "uss intrepid." he presented his idea to his boss, who sent it on to the secretary of the navy. this time, scott's timing was perfect. the navy liked the idea of