The U.S.S. Levy, one of the first two destroyer escort vessels to be launched in the Third Naval District. which includes New York. Connecticut and part of New Jersey, slid down the ways at the Federal Shipbuilding Company’s yard here today. Named after Commodore Uriah P. Levy, Jewish naval officer who distinguished himself in the War of 1812, the vessel was sponsored by Mrs. Charles Mayhoff of New York City, a niece of the Commodore.
Commodore Levy, a native of Pennsylvania, served on the frigate Constitution in the Mediterranean and at one time was commander of the famous Macedonian. He is credited with securing the abolishment of flogging in the Navy in 1850, He died in New York late in 1862 and is buried there.
The vessel bearing his name will augment the rapidly growing fleet of such ships, which are helping to combat the Axis U-boat menace. Nearly as large as destroyers, they are simpler in construction, less heavily armed and can be produced much faster than former vessels. They are designed primarily for protection against undersea and air attack.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
