BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown was joined by city officials on Saturday to give updates about the state of USS The Sullivans, Buffalo Naval Park’s historic World War II-era ship that has been tilting into Lake Erie since Thursday.
Officials say the main corrective efforts currently underway are removing contaminants like diesel, hydraulics and lube oil from the ship to protect workers and Lake Erie so that damages to the ship can be properly assessed and repaired. Crews have been meeting daily to develop priorities and a plan to save The Sullivans and despite some reports that have circulated, there are no plans to scrap it.
Brown says that getting the ship righted is going to be a timely and costly effort, but concerned parties are working tirelessly to save the ship.
“It’s going to take some time,” Brown said. “So we will not be done by the end of this weekend. [We] probably will not be done by next week, but there is a real unified effort on the part of the naval park, the Coast Huard, the city of Buffalo, the county of Erie and others who are working on this situation.”
Buffalo Naval Park President and CEO Paul Marzello said that two new parties will join the restoration team, a Navy architect and an international salvage team.
Several parties have suggested the process to save The Sullivans is going to be expensive. As for the $1 million raised last year, Marzello said that $650,000 remain, as restoration efforts were halted by winter weather. Recent events, however, have added additional expenses. Conversations are ongoing as to whether the extra funds will be used in current efforts.
Though not yet confirmed, some photographic and paper artifacts are expected to be lost to flooding. The Smithsonian has offered assistance in preservation efforts.
City officials are stressing that visitors follow safety precautions and remain behind protective fencing and barriers.
“I just want to remind everyone who might want to get a glimpse of USS The Sullivans to follow the safety procedures, to not try to get through or around or over the protective that has been put in place to protect public safety and to protect the people that are working to save the ship," Brown said.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Buffalo released an update on response efforts Saturday evening:
