Recently people have been joining me on my Sunday Walks in Downtown Albany. Typically, I walk in Albany when I'm scheduled as a tour guide on the USS Slater. A slide show and a map are detailed at this blog entry. I plan on walking on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. You can contact me at: dedocent@gmail.com.

More on the USS SLATER (www.ussslater.org).

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

5/31/2010 - Memorial Day



It was a beautiful Memorial Day, and Tim and Admiral Paul did a fine job. Immediately after the ceremony I took off for about an hour to do a quick walk. There seemed to be plenty of guides (perhaps 10), which seemed like a sufficient number to handle the crowd. When I got back I learned that they were barely enough. I was a little sorry I didn't stick around. But as soon as I got back I was able to start giving tours.

The 1st group was small, only two visitors. They remembered seeing the USS Slater at the USS Intrepid. The Slater was there from 1993, when it returned to the US from Greece. In 1997 the Slater was relocated to Albany. This video on Navy TV shows the Slater's condition in 1993. I expedited the tour so they could catch a ride on the Dutch Apple. I'm glad to see it cruising again.



The 2nd group was larger, mostly younger visitors. The tours went fine, and except for the heat everyone had a good time. I was asked a lot about how much things weighed, especially the guns. I have two excellent sources that help with the answers (both from the Historic Naval Ship Association): Gun Mount and Turret Catalog; and Boats of the United States Navy. The USS Slater E-Tour is also an excellent source.

Good questions - Hope I answered all of them.

No comments: