courtesy uscg sector buffalo
Hull work on the decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer The Sullivans (DD-537) was just one week away from resuming for the 2022 season when a major hull breach on 13 April caused the ship to take on water at her berth at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park (BECNMP). The ship had been undergoing hull repairs in 2021 to remove zebra mussels, inspect the hull, and apply an epoxy coating. That process had to be suspended for the winter when the water temperature dropped below 54 degrees due to the application parameters of the two-part epoxy. As a result of the hull breach, the ship began taking on water and developed a 22-degree list to starboard. The response effort included members of the Buffalo Police and Fire Departments, the Department of Homeland Security, the US Coast Guard, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, BidCo, T & T Salvage, and Miller Environmental Group. The dewatering process employed 22 industrial pumps; by 2 May the mission to right the vessel had shifted from an emergency response phase to a
Water being pumped out of the flooded USS The Sullivans (DD-537 on 15 April 2022. maintenance and decontamination phase. Divers had plugged more than 50 holes in the hull, and about 95% of the water had been removed from the ship. As of press time, cleaning and decontamination of the interior spaces was underway and museum staff were conducting a triage of artifacts
Sail Aboard the Liberty Ship
John W. BroWn
September 24 – “Know the Port of Baltimore” Please check our website for additional 2022 cruise dates. On a cruise you can tour museum spaces, bridge, crew quarters, & much more. Visit the engine room to view the 140-ton triple-expansion steam engine as it powers the ship though the water. Reservations: 410-558-0164, or
www.ssjohnwbrown.org Last day to order tickets is 14 days before the cruise; conditions and penalties apply to cancellations.
Project Liberty Ship is a Baltimore-based, all volunteer, nonprofit organization. SS JOHN W. BROWN is maintained in her WWII configuration. Visitors must be able to climb steps to board.
48
removed from The Sullivans in workspaces aboard the guided missile cruiser Little Rock. The Sullivans will most likely remain closed to the public for the 2022 summer season but the museum’s other two ships, the Guided Missile Cruiser USS Little Rock and the Gato-class submarine USS Croaker, are open for visitors. Paul Marzello, BECNMP President and CEO, told the Buffalo News: “I want to thank a community that’s filled with passion, commitment, and faith for standing strong when faced with misfortune. The motto of The Sullivans is ‘We Stick Together,’ based on the passionate spirit of the five Sullivan brothers, and that was never more evident than the 21 days it took to raise the ship named in their honor. We will be stronger as an organization as a result of this incident.” USS The Sullivans is the only US Navy ship to be named for more than one person; the Sullivan brothers—Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison, and George—were killed in action on 13 November 1942 when their ship, USS Juneau (CL-52), was sunk by a torpedo. The Sullivans was commissioned on 30 September 1943 and saw action in World War II as well as the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. When she was decommissioned in 1965, she had earned eleven battle stars for meritorious performance. The vessel was transferred to Buffalo in 1977. (BECNMP, One Naval Park Cove, Buffalo, NY; Ph. 716 847-1773; www.buffalonavalpark.org) ... SEA HISTORY 179, SUMMER 2022
