In other boat news

[buffalogal]

since there was such interest in boats lately I thought I would share this sad news.


www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/uss-the-sullivans-appears-to-be-sinking-at-buffalo-and-erie-county-naval-and-military-par


BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — USS The Sullivans, a decommissioned United States Navy Fletcher-class destroyer, appeared to be partially sinking at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park on Buffalo's waterfront Thursday morning.



The USS The Sullivans was seen listing heavily to its starboard side, and sitting lower in the water than usual.



Naval park leadership reports a major breach in the hull has caused the ship to take on water.



Emergency repair crews from Bidco Marine Group, including an underwater driving team, are at the scene working to determine what caused the breach. Another crew is pumping water on the deck.



The naval park says the breach is aft of midship on the starboard side, causing the ship to tilt back and to the right.

A breach in the hull of the USS The Sullivans caused the Fletcher-class destroyer to begin to sink at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park on Thursday.


The USS The Sullivans was commissioned in 1943 and operated in the Pacific Theater during World War II. It is named after five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. It is the only ship in the U.S. Navy to ever be named for more than one person. It was decommissioned in 1965 and has been in Buffalo since 1977.

In 2018, 7 News reported the USS The Sullivans was sinking due to a crack in her hull. In 2019, a fundraising campaign was launched to repair the ship.



Last year, 4-year-old Arrow Swartwout started collecting pennies to repair the ship.



Earlier this month, Congressman Brian Higgins announced $490,000 in federal funding would be added to support preservation and repairs.



Repairs to the ship were in progress, but were paused in October of last year. The naval park says water must be at least 54 degrees Fahrenheit for the epoxy used in repairs to adhere to the steel of the ship. Repairs were slated to resume on Monday.



No visitors will be allowed on any of the park's ships on Thursday, but the museum is open.



It is unclear whether the incident Thursday morning has caused any additional damage to the ship.

[mcsangel2]

Oh that's so sad. I wonder how many people even know who the Sullivan brothers were anymore.

[msmerymac]

My brother told me about this. When he was in middle school and high school he was in the US Naval Sea Cadets program where they did overnight drills on the USS The Sullivans. I've been on all three vessels, but obviously it's pretty close to his heart.

A lot of kids who were in the sea cadet corps went on to either SUNY Maritime College or the Coast Guard Academy or Annapolis. My brother chose to not do the military, although he highly considered it, but he DOES work in historic preservation/museums, and he now works with antique boats, actually.

[msmerymac]

Apr 14, 2022 16:15:40 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

Oh that's so sad. I wonder how many people even know who the Sullivan brothers were anymore.

Yea, even growing up in Buffalo, I probably wouldn't know except for my brother's involvement in the naval park. 

But my FIL is originally from Waterloo, IA, and has siblings who still live there. I've been told the Sullivan Brothers museum is pretty cool (by residents of Waterloo!) but chose to see the John Deere museum last time we visited...

But yeah, my grandfather had 4 brothers, and all 5 of them served in WWII, and my dad said they weren't allowed to serve together for that reason.