USS The Sullivans is a 78-year-old Fletcher-Class Destroyer that saw action in World War II and the Korean War. It’s named after the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa who perished on the USS Juneau when it sank in 1942.
It’s a national historic landmark and calls the Buffalo and Erie Naval and Military Park home.
“It holds a special place in our nation's military history, and in the hearts of the residents of this community,” said Paul Marzello, the park’s president and CEO.
But in February, leaks were discovered that threatened to sink it.
“It snows in Buffalo. The winters are harsh,” Marzello explained. “The seasonal contractions of the metal, the natural rusting of the steel, and the mere fact that the ship was built in the 40s with an expected service life of only 25 years, have all contributed to the weakening state of her hull.”
Work is now being done to repair the hull. Over the next few months, divers from BIDCO Marine Group of Buffalo will apply a two-part coating to the entire hull. They’ll also work to prevent further corrosion to not just USS The Sullivans, but the USS Little Rock and the USS Croaker.
“It's very time sensitive, very temperature sensitive,” said BIDCO President Mark Judd. “We send (the paint) down to the diver with a pump, and he's going to apply this to two-part paint. And it's with being exothermic. It creates its own heat. And it cures underwater and displaces any water between that paint in the hull.”
The project was possible due to a $1 million fundraising campaign, called Save the Sullivans. It’s raised about more than half of that goal so far, including $100,000 from selling commemorative coins and $50,000 from West Herr Auto Group.
Terry McGuire, the naval park’s chairman, said they’re also creating an endowment to fund future repairs.
“That will allow us to take care of the preserved portion of our mission, preserve, honor, educate and inspire, we can't do that without preserving our artifacts,” he said.
However, the campaign still needs to raise $465,000 for the current work. Developer Douglas Jemal, a member of the campaign, said USS The Sullivans are crucial to preserve.
“How fortunate we are to have it docked here in Buffalo, so that we should never forget the sacrifices that we've had to make for our freedom,” he said.
The campaign hopes to raise the rest of the money by Oct. 31. More information on how to donate can be found at savethesullivans.org.
