Albany – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior is set to designate the USS Slater, one of the remaining World War II naval ships and only destroyer escort afloat in the United States, as a National Historic Landmark. Since last year, Senator Gillibrand has urged Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior Ken Salazar and the National Park System (NPS) Advisory Board Landmarks Committee to designate the site as a National Historic Landmark.
“This is great news,” said Gillibrand. “Berthed in the Hudson River, the USS Slater is the only World War II-era destroyer escort afloat in the United States. This important landmark designation has the potential to greatly enhance tourism and economic activity in the surrounding area.”
In her letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, Senator Gillibrand wrote: “The USS Slater played a prominent role in American naval strategy and operations during World War II and is the most well-preserved example of a destroyer escort in the world today. Restored officers’ quarters, artifacts, uniforms, and a complete set of signal flags help visitors to the ship gain a thorough and realistic understanding of what serving on this ship was like, as well as a better appreciation for the USS Slater’s enormous contributions to the victory of the Allied forces.”
The USS Slater was nominated by the National Park System Advisory Board Landmarks Committee, leaving Secretary Salazar’s approval the last step for the USS Slater to be designated a National Historic Landmark.