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 fifty two feet in length, powered by twin diesel engines and weighs 25 tons. History While there are many stories to tell regarding Launch No 5's voyage through time, what follows are some highlights in her history. Slaying of Officer Henry Walburger 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. Construction and commissioning of Launch No 5 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. 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 -