Launch 5

"Walburger" redirects here; not to be confused with Wallburger, Wahlburger, or Walburg.

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Launch 5 patrols the Hudson River

History
United States
Name| Patrolman Walburger
Namesake| Patrolman Henry Walburger
Owner| Launch 5
Operator| Launch 5; previously New York City Police Department Harbor Unit
Route| Jamaica Bay
Ordered| 1966
Builder| Turecamo Tug
Laid down| 1966
Christened| November 18, 1966
Refit| 2002
Notes| www.launch5.com
General characteristics
Type| Patrol launch; United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
Displacement| 25 tons
Length| 52 feet
Propulsion| Twin Caterpillar diesel engines

Launch 5 is a restored NYPD patrol launch presently in use as a United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Facility as well as for volunteer non-profit environmental, public safety and educational work. Launch 5 enjoys a rich history beginning with her construction and dedication in 1966 and continuing to this day including valuable missions and enjoying substantial media exposure. Her crew is a group of volunteers who donate time and money to keep her afloat and to take her to public service.

In addition to being a working vessel, Launch 5 serves as a floating memorial to the officer she was named after, Patrolman Henry Walburger, who was killed in the line of duty in 1964. The vessel goes by both names - Patrolman Walburger and Launch 5. All NYPD Harbor Unit patrol launches are given a numbered designation welded to the outside of the wheelhouse. Patrolman Walburger was assigned No 5\. She is 52 feet (16 m) in length, powered by twin diesel engines and weighs 25 tons.

## History

[edit]

### Slaying of Officer Henry Walburger

[edit]

At 6:45 a.m. on July 27, 1964, Patrolman Henry Walburger and his partner were dispatched to an apartment building in the 9th pct. of Manhattan for a possible burglary in progress. When they arrived, Walburger ascended the fire escape to discover a white male holding two black females hostage. The white male shot Patrolman Walburger through the window and he died.[1]

### Construction and commissioning of Launch No 5

[edit]

Launch 5 on Dedication Day

During the summer of 1966 the first four of a fleet of new steel patrol launches were being built to replace the aging wooden fleet. They were being built by Turecamo Tug in the Matton Shipyard on the western bank of the Hudson River on Van Schaick Island, Cohoes NY. One of them was to bear the number "No 5". Years later, photos of her construction surfaced through a chance meeting with a retired shipbuilder who worked in the yard at the time.[2]

On November 18, 1966, Launch 5 was christened the Patrolman Walburger in a dedication ceremony attended by department brass, Henry's widow and children. After a ceremonial ride with the family, Launch No 5 began an approximate 30-year career as a very active patrol launch in the Jamaica Bay area of New York City - saving lives, property and enforcing the law.

### Demise of Launch No 5

[edit]

Sometime in the early nineties, as a new fleet of aluminum launches were being put into service in the New York City Police Department Harbor Unit, Launch No 5 was sold as surplus to a private party who eventually let it sink in the Passaic River. She lay on the bottom of that river, sinking deeper and deeper into the mud, for about a year.

### Raising of Launch No 5

[edit]

In 1998, Greg Porteus, a retired New York State Trooper whose father served aboard Launch 5 as a member of the NYPD Harbor Unit in the sixties and seventies, learned about Launch 5 lying on the bottom of the river and decided to embark on the project of raising and restoring the vessel.[3] The project turned into a journey of its own taking in excess of four years and many thousands of dollars to accomplish. But many friendships and loyalties were built along the way. Launch 5 had her hull below the waterline completely replaced, was repowered with brand new Caterpillar diesels. She continues to be improved with new navigation systems, generator, etc.

### Resurrection of Patrolman Walburger's spirit

[edit]

In the summer of 2002, the restoration was completed and she was rededicated to Patrolman Henry Walburger. The original dedication and name plaques were donated and affixed to the wheelhouse where they remain today. Patrolman Walburger's son Henry Jr., a retired NYPD detective, became an active crewmember and member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary along with Greg and the rest of the Launch 5 Crew.[4]

## Launch No 5 today

[edit]

Since her rededication in 2002, Launch 5 has been very busy again as a volunteer vessel - saving lives, providing security and public safety and helping to keep the Hudson River clean. But counted among her most proud achievements are the dozens of people who have been brought together through her restoration, service and her role as a floating memorial to the slain patrolman. In fact, she has come to symbolize the memories of all officers slain in the line of duty - and she carries those spirits with her on every active mission.

### Missions

[edit]

As a volunteer facility for the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Launch No 5 has participated in hundreds of "routine" safety and homeland security patrols. But she has also been called upon for more distinguished missions such as:

* Security for the Queen Mary 2 on her maiden voyage out of New York Harbor [5]
* NY Harbor tour for 10 wounded Army soldiers from the Iraq war[6]
* USCG Admiral transport for the Republican National Convention in 2004 and a change of command in 2006[7]
* Tour of the Hudson River to West Point with Congresswoman Sue Kelly[8]
* Homeland Security Science Mission - mapping Loran in NT Harbor [9]
* A multi agency rescue drill [10]
* Helicopter Rescue Demonstration [11]
* As a platform for the filming of a U.S. Navy documentary during Fleet Week [12]
* As safety boat for the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial [13]

### Media

[edit]

Launch 5's activities have drawn some media attention as well. Numerous newspaper articles have been written about her and her crew. Two impressive international magazine articles have been written as well. One of them was a seven-page tribute which was published in Passagemaker magazine. The other one was a centerfold photo spread in Professional Mariner magazine. She has appeared in numerous TV News spots and was featured in the opening scene of and episode of the Law & Order TV series. In January 2006, Launch 5 and her crew were filmed for a pivotal scene in Steven Soderbergh's movie Guerilla \- a film about Che Guevara \- which was released in 2008.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Walburger Shooting Report". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. ^ "Launch 5 Crew". Archived from the original on September 4, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. ^ "U.S. Army VIP Tour". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
7. ^ "Launch 5 Transports RDML Pekoske". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 25, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. ^ "NY Harbor Loran Measurement Mission". Archived from the original on April 18, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
10. ^ "Multi-agency Rescue Drill - July 9, 2005". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2007.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. ^ "Explore New York 400- Hudson Fulton Champlain". Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

New York City Police Department

Facilities|

* 1 Police Plaza
* 240 Centre Street
* New York City Police Academy
* New York City Police Museum
* NYPD 9th Precinct
* Real Time Crime Center

Bureaus|

* Counterterrorism Bureau
* Detective Bureau
* Housing Bureau
* Intelligence Bureau
* Transportation Bureau
* Organized Crime Control Bureau (folded into the Detective Bureau in 2016)

Units/
divisions|

* Auxiliary Police
* Aviation Unit
* Emergency Service Unit
* Highway Patrol
* Lower Manhattan Security Initiative
* Mounted Unit
* School Safety Division
* Special Victims Division
* Strategic Response Group
* Street Crime Unit (disbanded in 2020)

Equipment|

* Police vehicles

Organizations|

* 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care
* Cricket League
* FDNY Racing
* Housing Authority Police
* NYPD Police Band
* New York City Police Foundation
* Shomrim Society
* Transit Police

Police unions|

* Detectives' Endowment Association
* Police Benevolent Association
* Sergeants Benevolent Association

Events|

* 1988 Tompkins Square Park riot
* 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
* George Floyd protests in New York City
* Murder of Russel Timoshenko
* New York City draft riots
* Occupy Wall Street
* Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York
* Stonewall riots

Police riots|

* 1857 New York City Police riot
* 1992 Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Riot

Corruption/
misconduct|

* A Battle For The Soul of New York
* Black Lives Matter protests in New York City
* Central Park Five
* Civilian Complaint Review Board
* Museum of Broken Windows
* Pappas v. Giuliani
* The Seven Five

Investigations|

* Lexow Committee (1894-1895)
* Hofstadter Committee (1931)
* Knapp Commission (1970) (see also: Frank Serpico)
* Mollen Commission (1992-1993)
* Dirty thirty (1993-1995)
* Floyd v. City of New York (2013)

Surveillance|

* Domain Awareness System
* Handschu agreement
* Moroccan Initiative
* X-ray vans of the NYPD

Killings/
shootings/
beatings|

* Beating and rape of Abner Louima
* Death of Michael Stewart
* Harlem riot of 1943
* Harlem riot of 1964
* Hollywood Stuntz gang assault
* Killing of Akai Gurley
* Killing of Amadou Diallo
* Killing of Eric Garner
* Prospect Park alleged police sodomy incident
* Murder of Brian Moore
* Killing of Clifford Glover
* Killing of Edmund Perry
* Killing of Eleanor Bumpurs
* Killing of Gidone Busch
* Killing of Ramarley Graham
* Killing of Sean Bell
* Killing of Timothy Stansbury

Related|

* 9-1-1 Tapping Protocol
* CompStat
* Fictional portrayals of NYPD
* Launch 5
* List of officers
* Marino v. Ortiz
* Police Commissioner
* Police Athletic League of New York City
* Project Griffin
* The Shack
* Spring 3100
* Stop-and-frisk

41°11′11″N 73°51′31″W﻿ / ﻿41.186527°N 73.858731°W﻿ / 41.186527; -73.858731
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