USS Slater

04/04/2025

Thursdays are for the engineers. Here's a boiler light off, circa 1960. Note the PPE gear. Try not to burn your shipmate's hair.

04/02/2025

Wednesday, 2 April 2025. Opening day! This marks the ship's 28th year in Albany, NY. Most of our Wednesday crew reported aboard at 0930 to catch up, drink coffee, and teach visitors the history of the SLATER and destroyer es**rts.

Despite the cold temperatures and overcast sky, we welcomed visitors throughout the day including a three-hour tour by Alan.

04/01/2025

Tuesday, 1 April 2025. Moored as before, port side to, The Albany Snow Dock, Hudson River, Albany, New York. Ship moored with 8 nylon lines doubled. Wires have been released. Mustered crew at Station; No Absentees. Electric power is presently provided by by the B-2 in port generator. Main engines numbers 1 & 4 tested and standing by to provide main propulsion power.

Took aboard 32,000 diesel oil, 850 gallons of l**e oil, and 9,100 gallons of potable water. Stores aboard for 14 days.

Tested ship's siren, whistle, general, chemical, and collision alarms. Dock tested main propulsion motors and steering gear. All systems tested satisfactory. Started main gyro compass. Tested running, anchor, and signal lights.

Preparing for 2359 scheduled departure for Bermuda shakedown cruise. Awaiting the arrival of the Hudson River Pilot.

04/01/2025

Getting ready for opening day.

03/31/2025

Eighty-one years ago today, the Buckley class destroyer es**rt, USS SCROGGINS, was placed in commission. This ship remembered Ted H. Scroggins, who was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on 13 September 1918 and enlisted in the Navy on 7 December 1939. Aviation Radioman Second Class Scroggins was awarded the air medal posthumously, for his devotion to duty in the face of adverse weather and persistent enemy antiaircraft fire. During patrol missions and bombing attacks on Japanese ships in Kiska Harbor, he exhibited exceptional devotion to duty. He was lost in action on 15 June 1942, on an air mission in the Aleutians.

His namesake, USS SCROGGINS, was laid down on 4 September 1943, by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas. She was launched on 6 November 1943, and was sponsored by Mrs. Dartha Hardin, the sister of Aviation Radioman Scroggins. USS SCROGGINS was commissioned on 30 March 1944, with Lcdr. Herbert Kriloff in command.

After her Bermuda shakedown, SCROGGINS sailed on 1 June 1944, for the first of three convoy voyages from the east coast to Bizerte, Tunisia. On 12 November, after returning from her third voyage to the Mediterranean, SCROGGINS underwent refresher training at Casco Bay, Maine. She was then sent to Argentia, Newfoundland, on 18 December for antisubmarine duty. Except for short periods in port and six days of training off New London between 12 and 17 March, she carried out antisubmarine patrols and sweeps in the approaches to Halifax, as part of a hunter-killer force until 18 April 1945.

On 19 April, while heading back to New York in company with USS BUCKLEY (DE-51), REUBEN JAMES (DE-153) and JACK W. WILKE, (DE-800), BUCKLEY got a sound contact. SCROGGINS and WILKE stood off maintaining sound contact while USS BUCKLEY and REUBEN JAMES made the attack. The result was sinking German U-boat U-548 south-east of Halifax, in position 42°19'N, 61°45'W.

Between 30 April and 5 May, SCROGGINS carried out similar patrols off Long Island, before proceeding to Norfolk. On V-E day, she was placed on four-hours’ notice in case she was needed to es**rt surrendered German submarines to United States ports, but did not have to get underway.

SCROGGINS departed Norfolk on 15 May, to screen GUADALCANAL (CVE-60) off Jacksonville, while the es**rt carrier qualified pilots for carrier operations. Detached from this duty on 5 June, she then served as a seagoing training ship for the Naval Training Center in Miami, from 6 June to 17 July. After overhaul at New York, and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, she served as a training ship with submarines at New London from 5 September to 9 December 1945.

Between 9 January and 14 February 1946, the es**rt served as plane guard for SALERNO BAY (CVE-110) off Norfolk, and then returned to New London for more submarine training between 26 February and 1 April. The ship arrived at Green Cove Springs, Florida on 2 May, for inactivation. SCROGGINS was decommissioned on 15 June 1946, and was placed in reserve there. SCROGGINS was struck from the Navy list on 1 July 1965, and sold on 5 April 1967 to the Peck Iron and Metals Co. of Portsmouth, Virginia, for scrapping.

Navsource photo, provided by Wayne E. Cook, showing the SCROGGINS' Crew in December 1944.

03/28/2025

We had forty volunteer Sailors aboard from NPTU Ballston Spa and the New England Recruiting District. They spent the day organizing our flagbags, lubricating our ordnance equipment, stowing uniforms, painting, and cleaning up for opening day. Our thanks to MMN1(SS/SW) William Ording, USN, who organized the event.

03/28/2025

Tonight we are posting the link to our latest Podcast, Episode 42, as we continue our discovery into how and why destroyer es**rts came to be built during World War II. This portion of the story focuses on the famed "4 Piper" destroyers, and their relationship to the development of the destroyer es**rts twenty years later. You don't want to miss this story!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5eyvdlNqd8

Follow along with our transcript and check out the photos on our website, as volunteer and researcher, Jim Kuba, relates the relationship between the two classes.

If you like what you hear and are able to help us out by leaving a donation, we appreciate every dollar we are given! Donations are used to restore, preserve, and educate the public about USS SLATER and Destroyer Es**rts.

USS SLATER is a private not-for-profit museum that receives no regular support from New York State, the federal government, or the US Navy. We are funded by private donations, tickets, and merchandise sales.

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Thank you for listening to DE Classified and supporting USS SLATER! All proceeds earned from this podcast, tickets & merchandise sold, as well as donations received, go directly to support the ship and her restoration. Donate at www.ussslater.org

Join us as we continue our discovery into how and why destroyer es**rts came to be built during World War Two. This portion of the story focuses on the famed...

03/26/2025

Rust never sleeps. Here the crew of USS THOMAS F. NICKEL (DE-587) don their chipping hammers adjacent to the k-gun launchers. Thankfully, there is a first aid kit for the inevitable paint chip in the eye.

03/25/2025

Tuesday, 25 March 2025. Thirteen volunteers reported aboard, on a day that wasn't quite as cold and windy as Monday. There was cold pizza left over from Saturday, for anyone who was desperate for lunch.

03/24/2025

Monday, 24 March 2025. Thirteen volunteers aboard, on a cold blustery Monday. Looks like our short spring is over for a while. Again, it was a search for inside projects. Thanks to Thomas Scian for the photos.

03/23/2025

Eighty-two years ago, the destroyer es**rt, USS HUSE, was launched at Orange, Texas. The ship honored Harry McLaren Pinckney Huse, who was born at the Military Academy, West Point, on 8 December 1858. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1878. During the Spanish-American War, he served as an Executive Officer of USS GLOUCESTER, and took part in the famous Battle of Santiago. The converted yacht, off the harbor entrance when the Spanish fleet sortied, engaged enemy destroyers PLUTO and FUROR, defeating both. Lieutenant Huse was advanced five numbers in grade for "eminent and conspicuous conduct in battle." He later led a successful landing party in Guanica, Puerto Rico 25 July 1898.

Following the war, Huse taught at the Naval Academy and commanded various ships, including USS VERMONT and USS NEVADA. He also took part in the landings at Vera Cruz from 21-22 April 1914, and received the Medal of Honor. In 1919, he went to France as a member of the Allied Naval Armistice Commission, and on 24 June 1920, became a Commander, U.S. Naval Forces in European Waters, with the rank of Vice Admiral. Retiring in December 1922, he died 14 May 1942 in the Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Md.

His namesake was the EDSALL class destroyer es**rt, USS HUSE, laid down on 1 January 1943, by the Consolidated Steel Corp., in Orange, Texas. She was launched on 23 March 1943, and was christened and sponsored by Mrs. L. M. Humrichouse, the daughter of Vice Admiral HUSE. She was commissioned on 30 August 1943, with Lcdr. William A. Sessions in command. Following her shakedown cruise off Bermuda, HUSE did additional training before joining her first Atlantic convoy on 13 November. After seeing this convoy safely to Casablanca, she returned to New York on Christmas Day 1943.

Following training exercises off Norfolk, HUSE es**rted another convoy to Africa from 25 January-11 February 1944, then, before returning home, engaged in antisubmarine patrol work off Gibraltar with ships of the Royal Navy. Returning to New York on 8 March, the ship was given a new assignment to join a hunter killer group formed around the es**rt carrier, USS CROATAN (CVE-25), in the Atlantic.

Sailing from Norfolk on 24 March to search for U-boats, the ships were rewarded with contact on 7 April. The es**rts dogged U-856 until it surfaced and was destroyed by gunfire from HUSE and USS CHAMPLIN. After a brief period in Bermuda, the group stood out to the search area again on 12 April. Carrier aircraft and es**rt vessels came upon another submarine on 26 April, and the DE's sank U-boat U-488.

HUSE spent the period from 11 May-3 June in Brooklyn, departing the latter date with CROATAN, to search for submarines. On the morning of 11 June, she dropped six depth charges and made two hedgehog runs on a suspected target, with no confirmation of a sinking. The persistent ships remained in the area, searching until just after midnight on 12 June, when radar revealed a surfaced submarine. The badly damaged U-490 was finished off by gunfire. In the months that followed,

HUSE continued to operate with the CROATAN hunter-killer group. Replenishing as necessary in Norfolk, Bermuda, and Casablanca, they scoured the sea for enemy submarines. In addition, HUSE rescued downed pilots from CROATAN's air group on three separate occasions. She arrived in Brooklyn on 2 October 1944, for repairs and training, after which she conducted exercises in Chesapeake Bay and the Caribbean.

HUSE joined CROATAN for hunter-killer operations again on 25 March 1945, and two of her sister ships sank U-880 on 16 April 1945. They continued to operate in northern waters out of Argentia, until returning to New York on 14 May 1945.

With the war against Germany over, HUSE prepared to join the Pacific Fleet for the final effort to defeat Japan. She sailed on 10 July 1945, for training exercises in the Caribbean, passing through the Panama Canal and arriving in San Diego on 7 August 1945. During the voyage to Pearl Harbor, the ship learned of Japan's collapse on 15 August.

After various exercises in Hawaiian waters, the veteran es**rt ship returned to Norfolk via San Diego and the Canal Zone on 28 September 1945. She arrived in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on 19 January 1946, and decommissioned on 27 March 1946.

HUSE recommissioned in response to the Korean conflict on 3 August 1951. After shakedown training in the Caribbean, she arrived in Key West on 15 January 1952, to act as sonar-training ship. In May, she steamed northward to take part in a cold-weather operation off Labrador. The ship then began regular training operations, based in Newport, Rhode Island, which took her to the Caribbean and Key West.

This antisubmarine readiness training was maintained until July 1955, when the ship sailed to Norfolk to embark NROTC Midshipmen on a training cruise to Northern Europe. HUSE returned to Newport on 3 September 1955, and resumed antisubmarine operations. This continued until early 1957, when she made preparations to join the Navy task group operating off the Atlantic Missile Test Range.

During May 1957, HUSE operated off Puerto Rico in connection with the launching of a Vanguard satellite test vehicle, and the subsequent nose cone recovery efforts. After further tactical exercises in Key West, she sailed in September for important NATO exercises in Northern European waters, returning to Newport on 21 October 1957. During 1958 and 1959, except for short cruises to the Caribbean and periodic overhaul, HUSE remained in the Key West area on sonar-training operations.

HUSE was assigned to the Naval Reserve Training program in March 1960, and arrived in New Orleans, her new home port, on 6 July 1960. She did reserve training cruises until October 1962, and she participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis. HUSE steamed to Florida to bolster Naval strength in support of the quarantine operations. Through 1963 into 1965, she continued to operate out of New Orleans, performing her training function. On 30 June 1965, she decommissioned in the South Gate Annex, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA. On 1 August 1973, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register until 24 June 1974. On that date, she was sold for scrapping to the Aardvark International Corp., in Chester, Pennsylvania for $55,916.00

As a postscript to this story, the members of the USS HUSE former crewmembers Assn have organized annual work weeks and volunteered to maintain the USS SLATER since the year 2000.
The photo shows USS HUSE recommissioned for postwar service on 3 August, 1951.

03/23/2025

Saturday, 22 March 2025. Today, about forty volunteers were logged aboard for Shanna's annual tour guide refresher training day. In addition, Barry and his crew of students, and RPI NROTC Midshipmen, accomplished multiple projects around the ship to get us ready for opening day. The reward; A pizza party for lunch.

03/21/2025

The weekend is here and it's WestPac Liberty Call! How many of you had the opportunity to haggle with Hong Kong street vendors? LIFE Archive photo by Hank Walker. Have a great weekend!

03/20/2025

Let's give Thursdays over to the engineers. Here are the Motormacs aboard USS WALTER S. BROWN (DE-258), doing diesel maintenance, circa 1945. The engine is a GM-16-278-A. Want to guess who the junior man is?

03/19/2025

Yesterday we shared that we relocated the museum's HF/DF (HUFF- DUFF) to the ship's Combat Information center. Here is how it looked when a sailor operated it.

High-frequency direction finding (HUFF-DUFF) was used to triangulate a U-Boat's location via their radio signals. It was used to great effectiveness in the Atlantic, especially with the hunter-killer groups that roamed the seas searching for U-Boats.

03/18/2025

Tuesday, 18 March 2025. Eight volunteers were aboard today. We made more progress in our search for topside leaks, moving the Huff/Duff Receiver into CIC, insulating the overhead in berthing space C-202-L, catalogued charts, installed the cooling pipe on 325 compressor, and did a test run, worked on reassembly of Ingersoll Rand B-4 compressor. We also investigated the leak under Gun 3.