Honor USS Slater Anniversary

Senate Resolution No. 2115 BY: Senator BRESLIN COMMEMORATING the 75th Anniversary of the commissioning of the U.S.S. SLATER DE766 WHEREAS, Museums which serve the best interests of the people of this Empire State merit the commendation of this Legislative Body; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the commissioning of the USS SLATER DE766, and to celebrate this milestone of the last Destroyer Escort that has been restored and still afloat in the United States; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the commissioning of the USS SLATER DE766 which occurred on May 1, 1944, in Tampa Florida; and WHEREAS, Commissioning is the ceremony by which a ship is placed in active duty; and WHEREAS, The USS SLATER DE766 is now a Destroyer Escort Historical Museum moored on the Hudson River in Albany, New York; the ship arrived in Albany on October 26, 1997; and WHEREAS, On March 9, 1943, the USS SLATER's keel was laid at the Tampa Shipbuilding Company; and WHEREAS, On February 13, 1944, the USS SLATER was launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Nora Slater, mother of Seaman Frank O. Slater who was killed in action aboard the USS SAN FRANCISO CA-38 off of Gaudalcanal; and WHEREAS, On June 24, 1946, the USS SLATER was decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Florida; and WHEREAS, During World War II, 563 Destroyer Escorts battled Nazi U-boats on the North Atlantic protecting conveys; while in the Pacific, these ships stood in line to defend naval task forces from Japanese submarines and Kamikaze air attacks; and WHEREAS, This ship has been designated as a National Historic Landmark; and WHEREAS, The USS SLATER has undergone an extensive restoration so that a visitor can return to 1945 to see how sailors walked, hear the sound of a living ship, touch a piece of American history and walk the decks where hundreds of sailors walked before; the museum offers hour-long guided tours, youth group overnight camping, and a historic location to hold naval reunions; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when museums of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the commissioning of the USS SLATER DE766; and be it further RESOLVED That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Timothy C. Rizzuto, Executive Director Destroyer Escort Historical Museum USS SLATER DE 766.