Can't make it to the museum? We'll come to you! The SLATER offers an outreach program to teach your students about some of the duties and jobs of sailors on a warship during World War II. The outreach program is perfect for the winter months when the ship is closed to the public.

The current program, Communicating at Sea, is designed for middle schools students, but can be altered to fit your class. Program time is approximately 45 minutes. Program fee is $1.00 per child (maximum of 30 students per presentation).


Communicating at Sea
World War II at sea involved thousands of ships sailing across hundreds of thousands of square miles of ocean. The Navy used several types of communication to control its many ships. These forms of communication included the use of Morse code radio transmissions, voice-radio transmissions, flashing lights, signal flag hoists, and hand-held semaphore flags. Although these types of communication varied widely in application and usefulness, they all helped the U.S. Navy to do its job during World War II.

The USS SLATER DE 766 now offers an outreach program focused on naval communication during World War II. During the program, a SLATER staff member will come to your school and demonstrate to your class the various forms of communication used during the war. The demonstration will include hands-on activities with semaphore and signal flags, and an opportunity to learn and practice sending and receiving Morse code. The lecturer will also highlight the history of each type of signal, as well as how and when each type was used while a ship was at sea.

The Communicating At Sea program focuses on grades 5 and 6. It meets the New York State Standards of Learning for Social Studies (History of the World and New York State), English (Information and Understanding), and Science (Physical Setting). The program is approximately 45 minutes in length, but can be shortened depending upon your schedule requirements.


Be sure to check this site again in the future, as more outreach programs are in development!