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
 
                            -2-      LRB093 12092 RAH 16940 r
 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.