The World War II era destroyer the USS The Sullivans has been endangered before. Western New Yorkers and others rallied around to keep it afloat; we expect the same to happen this time.
The ship, docked at the Buffalo and Erie County Military & Naval Park, was taking on water Thursday. Crews were pumping out 13,000 gallons per minute.
“We’re not going to give up the ship and failure is not an option,” said Paul Marzello, president and CEO of the naval park.
Efforts to stabilize the ships continued Friday. Marzello said they had reached “equilibrium,” pumping out as much water as was coming in.
The 79-year-old, weather-beaten vessel was also leaning on its side last spring, with leaks in the hull. The naval park launched a fundraising campaign and donations came in from far and wide. West Herr Automotive Group gave $50,000.
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The developer Douglas Jemal provided an initial $10,000 and held a fundraiser in March 2021 that raised about $85,000. The Save The Sullivans campaign raised more than $1 million in eight months.
The ship was named for the five Sullivan brothers, Iowa natives who were among 687 aboard the USS Juneau who were killed after it was struck by a Japanese torpedo in the Pacific Ocean in November 1942.
Their story was turned into a Hollywood movie. “The Fighting Sullivans,” released in 1944, starred Academy Award winner Anne Baxter.
The decommissioned ship, a National Historic Landmark, is a Fletcher-Class destroyer. Its fate attracts interest from all corners of the world, with fans eager to honor the memory of the working-class Iowa family who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
“We’ve had a lot of inspirational messages from people around the country and other countries, and we just want to let people know this is a setback,” Marzello said Thursday.
Jemal added: “We will have a moral obligation to pick her back up again, dust her off and stand her up, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Get ready to help.
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