093_HR0375
LRB093 12092 RAH 16940 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The U.S.S Cavalier is named for a county in the
3 State of North Dakota; she was built under the contract of
4 the Maritime Commission by the Western Pipe and Steel
5 Company of San Francisco, California; assigned the name
6 "Cavalier" on October 5, 1942, she was launched on March 15,
7 1943 under the sponsorship of Mrs. Monroe W. Jackson and
8 delivered to the U.S. Navy on July 19, 1943; she was fitted
9 out as an attack transport by the Bethlehem Steel Company of
10 Hoboken, New Jersey and placed in commission on January 15,
11 1944 under the command of Captain Raymond T. McElligott,
12 United States Coast-Guard; and
13 WHEREAS, The U.S.S. Cavalier (APA-37) was a U.S. Coast
14 Guard manned attack transport which had landing barges aboard
15 for landing troops and supplies; the U.S.S. Cavalier had a
16 crew of about 550 men and could accommodate 1200 troops; and
17 WHEREAS, The Cavalier participated in five invasions in
18 the South Pacific during World War II including Saipan and
19 Tinian in the Marianas Islands; Leyte, Lingayan Gulf, and
20 Subic Bay, all on the island of Luzon in the Philippine
21 Islands; and
22 WHEREAS, Following the landing at Subic Bay, the Cavalier
23 was torpedoed on January 30, 1945; the ship was disabled and
24 had to be towed back to Pearl Harbor, a distance of
25 approximately 5,400 miles; and
26 WHEREAS, During the tour of duty, the Cavalier traveled
27 over 58,000 miles from the time it was commissioned in 1943;
28 and
29 WHEREAS, Since 1989, the crew of the U.S.S. Cavalier has
30 held a reunion in honor of the great ship; this year the crew
31 will celebrate its 15th reunion at the Schaumburg Marriott
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1 Hotel in Schaumburg from September 5-8, 2003; activities will
2 include a banquet at the hotel, an afternoon at Arlington
3 Racetrack, and a show and dinner at Medieval Times;
4 therefore, be it
5 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7 we honor the service and sacrifice of the members of the
8 U.S.S. Cavalier as they celebrate their 15th reunion; and be
9 it further
10 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11 presented to the crew members of the U.S.S. Cavalier as an
12 expression of our esteem.