USS SLATER to celebrate Coast Guard birthday Sunday

ALBANY, N.Y. >> The United States Coast Guard, one of the country’s five armed services, is turning 229 this weekend.

The service was founded on August 4, 1790 when the first Congress authorized the construction of 10 vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. Known variously as the Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, the Coast Guard expanded in size and responsibilities as the nation grew.

Friends of the USS SLATER will commemorate the 229th Birthday of the United States Coast Guard at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4 with a ceremony aboard the ship in Albany. “Coasties” and their friends and families are invited to attend.

It is appropriate to celebrate the Coast Guard’s Birthday aboard USS SLATER as during World War II the Coast Guard manned hundreds of Navy and Army vessels including 30 destroyer escorts. Coast Guardmanned ships hunted enemy submarines, protected convoys to Europe, delivered troops and supplies to the various theaters of the war, and operated landing

craft which delivered troops to the invasion beaches.

Coast Guard cutters and destroyer escorts played a pivotal role fighting Nazi U-Boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. Following the war, during the 1950s, destroyer escorts were once again called into Coast Guard service to serve as weather ships.

The SLATER volunteer crew includes a strong Coast Guard contingent, dedicated to preserving a piece of American history.

USS SLATER is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 1. Admission is $9 for adults and $7 for children. The ship is located on the Hudson River in Downtown Albany just south of the Dunn Memorial Bridge.

Call (518) 431-1943 for more information or visit the website at www.ussslater.org.

PHOTO PROVIDED The USS SLATER is located in Albany.

LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE Coast Guardsmen celebrate the United States Coast Guard’s 224th anniversary aboard the USS SLATER in Albany.

LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE Richard Walker, retired officer in the New York State Naval Militia and former Coast Guardsman, speaks aboard the USS SLATER at the U.S. Coast Guard’s 224th anniversary ceremony in Albany.

FILE PHOTO The USS SLATER, a World War II destroyer escort, is on display in Albany harbor. It is the only World War II-era destroyer escort still afloat.