Restoring and updating New York’s Wireless Memorial

The Veteran Wireless Operators Association has been working on a
project of restoring and up-dating the Wireless Memorial at Battery
Park. When the memorial is taken out of storage it will be located on
State Street facing Pearl Street. In its new site, it will be passed by thousands of people each week between the Staten Island Ferry and the foot of Broadway.

When the memorial is re-installed, the following radio operators will be added to the monument:

  • John V. O’Reilly S.S. Fort Mercer February 18, 1952 Atlantic Coast
  • James G. Greer S.S. Pendleton February 18, 1952 Atlantic Coast
  • George E. Sloat S.S. Marine Sulphur Queen February 4, 1963 Florida Straits

Sloat was a member of Radio Officers Union and shipped from Baltimore.
 

The event in which O’Reilly and Greer were lost is described in dramatic detail in a book, Two Tankers Down, by Robert Frump. The VWOA has been trying, without success, to locate and contact surviving family members to invite them to the re-dedication of the memorial and to a presentation of scrolls that honor their sacrifice. Any leads would be appreciated. Contact mdmacmahon@aol.com

By Professional Mariner Staff