01 Cutting Out The Old Foot rails	02 Cutting Out The Old Foot rails	03 Grinding Down Old Welds	04 Modifying The Whaleboat Davits
05 Modifying The Whaleboat Davits	06 Modifying The Whaleboat Davits	07 Cutting Out Deck Plates	08 Welding
09 Modifying The Whaleboat Davits	10 Fabricating A New Ventilator	11 Fabricating New Deck Plates	12 Fabricating A New Ventilator

Ed Zajkowski assembled a group of retired nuclear power plant welders and machinists to tackle several welding projects. The first was to extend the vertical posts on the whale boat davits so that the davits would clear the boat at all angles. The second was to replace the rusted decking on the twin 40mm Bofors anti aircraft gun mounts. The third was to fabricate new foot rails for the 20mm Oerlikon anti aircraft gun mounts. These rails were added in 1945 after the Japanese began using explosive laden suicide boats and low level Kamikaze attacks against US Navy Fleet ships in the Pacific in WWII. Without the rails the gunners were not able to deflect (aim) the gun barrels low enough to engage boats and low flying aircraft close in to the ship. With the rails the gunners were able to stand higher and point their guns down to the water.

Destroyer Escort USS Slater Main Page