USS Slater celebrates 80th year + Home of the Week

Today in The 518

• The USS Slater celebrates 80 years of making history

• Dornoch and Saratoga both win at Belmont Stakes

• A restored church on the Hudson is our Home of the Week 🏡

• Plus, this week’s music listings and take our poll on The 518

USS Slater celebrates storied history 80 years in the making

Editor’s note: The 518’s Lisa Chaput visits with the curator of the naval museum ahead of its 1940s-themed party this Saturday. Get tix here.

By the time it was moored permanently in the Hudson River on Albany’s waterfront, the USS Slater had led an exceptional existence. Over its 80 years, it has survived a world war protecting American ships against German U-boats and Japanese kamikaze attacks, sailed across the globe and back, and served in two sovereign navies. Only a handful of destroyer escorts remain, and the Slater is the only one in the US still afloat. Exceptional indeed.

When the Slater was commissioned on May 1, 1944, Glen Miller’s “In the Mood” played on the radio while folks tended to their victory gardens. Americans across the country were gripped by the war effort. One of 563 destroyer escorts built during World War II, the Slater was deployed to protect Allied convoys from German subs hunting in the Atlantic waters. Following victory in Europe, it assisted convoys in the Pacific theater before being handed over to the Hellenic Navy—Greece’s naval force—after the war.

Albany became the recipient of this incredible piece of history because the Destroyer Escort Sailor Association recognized the importance of preserving the mission and memories of destroyer escorts and their sailors. The organization acquired the Slater before the Hellenic Navy could scrap it and towed the ship across the Atlantic to the New York City harbor. There, it sat beside the WWII Intrepid aircraft carrier while being refurbished. In 1997, the ship was moved up to Albany to its forever home.

Read the rest of the story on The 518 website.

Albany facing surge in gun violence—again

Remember when we wrote about Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins touting the drop in crime across the city? Yeah, that was so last week. We have now seen three homicides in two weeks, bringing the total to nine for the year. Albany County Assistant District Attorney Joseph Brucato blamed the violence on “an ongoing, geographically situated gang war.” The Times Union has the full story.

“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." —L.M. Montgomery

Expect a moody mix of sunshine and thunderstorms for the rest of the week.

Belmont Stakes: Longshot wins, Saratoga breaks record

In case you missed it, Dornoch beat 17-1 odds to win the 156th Belmont Stakes while favorite Sierra Leone (trained by Mechanicville native Chad Brown) came in third. Meanwhile, Saratoga Race Course notched a record for a non-Triple Crown year for bets placed—$125 million! Local businesses should be happy to know the Belmont will return again to Saratoga next year.

Tour De Ted’s brings 75-cent fish fry to a stand near you

While the USS Slater turns 80, Ted’s Fish Fry turns a well-seasoned 75 this July. Think of all that fish fry 🐟 over the years! To celebrate, the Capital District’s favorite seafood chain, voted Best Fish Fry for 10 years in a row by Capital Region Living, is going on tour. From July 8 to 14, catch the Ted’s on Wheels food truck and reel in some fish fry for just 75-cents! Locations and dates here. And join the 🔥 debate on whether the hype is real or not.

Capital Region restaurant openings & closings

We made another slight goof last week by not including a link to all of the restaurant openings and closings in the Capital District so far in 2024, courtesy of the folks at News10. Did your favorite spot close down this year? 😢