USS Slater - Destroyer Escort at War: Episode Four - Lower Decks

In this limited military history documentary series, we explore the USS Slater, one of only five surviving US Destroyer Escort vessels from World War II.

In this fourth episode, we take a look at what life was like for the ordinary enlisted sailor aboard the Slater. We explore the mess and galley where the crew prepared and ate their meals, the berths where they rested and socialised, and various other areas and facilities essential to the efficient running of the vessel and her crew.

00:00 - Enlisted Mess Deck
02:15 - Cook’s Challenge
03:19 - Smells of the Mess
04:35 - Crew Berths
10:03 - Sickbay
11:01 - Uniforms
11:54 - Laundry
12:45 - Archive Records of the Destroyer Escort fleet
13:15 - Redundancy and Damage Control
14:36 - The Heads
15:10 - Night Shifts
16:28 - Career Progression and Training
19:14 - The Importance of Receiving Mail
20:49 - Competition Between Crews

With thanks to the staff and volunteers at the USS Slater Historical Museum, including Shanna Schuster, John Epp, and Charles Starks.

Visit the USS Slater website: https://ussslater.org

Filmed and edited by Zachary Halberd: https://zacharyhalberd.com and    / @zhalberd  

This video may contain images of AI-generated art in thumbnails which is intended to convey a suitable tone and is not necessarily historically accurate.