USS Slater facts for kids
USS Slater during World War II
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United States |
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| Name | USS Slater |
| Namesake | Frank O. Slater |
| Builder | Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Tampa, Florida |
| Laid down | 9 March 1943 |
| Launched | 13 February 1944 |
| Commissioned | 1 May 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 26 September 1947 |
| Stricken | 7 March 1951 |
| Identification | DE-766 |
| Fate | Transferred to Greece, 1 March 1951 |
 Greece |
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| Name | Aetos |
| Acquired | 1 March 1951 |
| Decommissioned | 5 July 1991 |
| Identification | D01 |
| Fate | Returned to US and preserved as memorial in Albany, New York |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Cannon-class destroyer escort |
| Displacement | 1,240 long tons (1,260 t) |
| Length | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m) |
| Draft | 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Range | 10,800 nmi (20,000 km; 12,400 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 15 officers, 201 enlisted |
| Armament |
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USS Slater (Destroyer Escort)
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Port of Albany, Albany, New York |
| Built | 1944 |
| Architect | Tampa Shipbuilding |
| NRHP reference No. | 98000393 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 7 May 1998 |
| Designated NHL | 2 March 2012 |
The USS Slater (DE-766) is a special kind of warship called a destroyer escort. These ships were smaller than destroyers but still very important during World War II. The Slater served in the United States Navy and later in the Greek Navy.
After the war, the ship was given to Greece and renamed Aetos, which means "Eagle." It served there until 1991. Then, this historic ship came back to the United States.
Today, the USS Slater is a museum ship in Albany, New York, on the Hudson River. It's one of the very few destroyer escorts left from World War II. It's also the only one still floating in the US that looks just like it did during the war. Because of its importance, the Slater was named a National Historic Landmark in 2012.
In 2019, another ship, the Dutch Apple, accidentally bumped into the Slater. This happened because of a mechanical problem on the Dutch Apple.
Contents
Who Was Frank O. Slater?
The USS Slater was named after a brave sailor, Frank Olga Slater. He was born in Kennamer Cove, Alabama, in 1920. Frank was one of twelve children and grew up in Fyffe, Alabama.
He joined the United States Naval Reserve in 1942. After his training, he served on a large warship called the USS San Francisco. On November 12, 1942, Frank Slater was killed in action during a big sea battle called the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. He was given the Navy Cross for his bravery. This is a very high award for courage in battle.
Building and Early Adventures
The USS Slater started being built on March 9, 1943. It was officially named on February 13, 1944, by Frank Olga Slater's mother, Lenora Slater. The ship was ready for service on May 1, 1944. It was built in Tampa, Florida, and cost about $3.4 million at the time. That would be over $54 million today!
After it was built, the Slater went on a "shakedown cruise" near Bermuda in June 1944. This was a test trip to make sure everything worked correctly. Later, it helped move torpedoes from a captured German submarine, the U-505.
The Slater then went to Key West to be a training ship for sonar. Sonar is a system that uses sound waves to find objects underwater, like enemy submarines. From October 1944, the Slater spent seven months protecting groups of ships, called convoys, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean. It also did more training in Portland, Maine.
By the end of World War II in Europe, the Slater had protected five convoys going to the United Kingdom. These trips were very important for bringing supplies safely across the ocean.
| Dates | Ports |
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| 17–20 October 1944 | Brooklyn, New York to Liverpool, England |
| 21 October 1944 | Milford Haven, Wales |
| 14–19 December 1944 | Glasgow, Scotland (Greenock) |
| 22–28 January 1945 | Cardiff, Wales |
| 10–14 March 1945 | Cardiff, Wales |
| 28 April - 4 May 1945 | Cardiff, Wales |
In June 1945, the Slater sailed to the Pacific Ocean. It passed through the Panama Canal and stopped in San Diego and Pearl Harbor. It then helped with operations in the Pacific until the end of the year. After its service, the ship returned to Norfolk and was put into a reserve fleet in Florida in 1947. This meant it was kept ready but not actively used.
Serving in Greece: The Aetos
On March 1, 1951, the USS Slater was given to the Hellenic Navy (the Greek Navy). This was part of a program where the US helped other countries. The ship was renamed Aetos, which means "Eagle" in Greek.
The Aetos joined three other similar ships. Together, they were known as the "Wild Beasts" Flotilla. The ship patrolled the eastern Aegean and Dodecanese islands. It also helped train new naval cadets. The Aetos served Greece for many years until it was taken out of service in 1991. Greece then gave the ship to a group called the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association.
A Museum Ship Today
Sailors who had served on destroyer escorts across the country raised over $250,000. They wanted to bring the Slater back to the United States to become a museum ship. In 1993, a large Russian tugboat towed the ship all the way from Crete, Greece, to New York City. There, it was docked next to the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid.
Volunteers started working to restore the ship and find a permanent home for it. They chose Albany, New York. On October 26, 1997, the Slater arrived at the Port of Albany. In 2006, a small fire accidentally started on board, but the damage was minor and quickly repaired. Restoring the ship is a continuous project for the dedicated volunteers.
On May 7, 1998, the Slater was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes important historical sites in the United States.
Over its many years of service with two navies, the Slater was updated several times. Some of its original weapons were removed, like a depth-charge rack and four "K-gun" depth charge launchers. New weapons were added, including two twin Bofors 40 mm guns. Also, its ten single 20 mm guns were replaced with nine twin mounts, making it more powerful.
The Slater in Movies
The USS Slater has appeared in three movies! When it was serving in Greece, it was featured in The Guns of Navarone (1961) and I Aliki sto Naftiko (Alice in the Navy, also filmed in 1961).
In August 2008, parts of a Japanese film called Last Operations Under the Orion (2009) were filmed on the Slater. Even though the movie was about a battle between a Japanese submarine and a US Navy destroyer, the Slater was used. Scenes were filmed on the ship, and a model of the ship was built for special effects shots at sea.
See also
