A warship that survived Japanese airstrikes in the Pacific, a typhoon and volleys of artillery fire, sank slowly away from the theaters where it saw battles decades ago: moored on the shores of Buffalo, New York
The ship, USS The Sullivans, suffered a major “hull breakage” on Wednesday and began receiving water at its home over the past few decades, the Buffalo and Erie Naval and Military Park, authorities said Thursday.
The breach occurred in the back of the middle of the starboard side – in the lower right part of the hull – said the park’s chief executive Paul Marzelo at a press conference on Thursday.
The reason for the breakthrough was unknown. “We have a problem and we don’t know what it is,” he said. The breach caused the ship to tilt back and to the right, plunging its country at a sharp angle into the murky waters of the lake.
Mr Marzelo did not immediately respond to an inquiry on Friday.
The park said it works with marine engineers and members of a marine construction company, the Bidco Marine Group, as well as with city and federal agencies: the fire department, police department, Department of Homeland Security and Coast Guard.
Work began on Thursday morning as Bidco drivers were in the water, “trying to assess the damage,” Mr Marzelo said. He said the crews were pumping water at a rate of “probably about 13,000 gallons per minute”.
“My optimism says we are improving,” he said. “Now we pump faster than we take.”
He suggested that age had played a role in the ship’s breakthrough. “The problem is that we have an 80-year-old ship that has had to serve for about 25 years and it serves us with dignity,” he said. “Was it supposed to be a ship museum?” This was never in the plan. We make it a plan for what it symbolizes. “
Mayor Byron W. Brown, who also spoke at the news conference, said Buffalo was “deeply concerned about the ship’s condition.” “This is an important part of our US naval heritage,” he said.
Put into operation in 1943, The Sullivans is one of four remaining examples of the Fletcher-class destroyer left in the world, according to the park.
The ship is 376 feet long, has weapons including caliber guns and depth charges, and has a crew of 310 sailors.
Named after five brothers killed in the Battle of Guadalcanal, the destroyer left Pearl Harbor in 1944 and served in the Pacific until the end of World War II. According to the US Navy, the Sullivan bombed Iowa Jima airports, defended against Japanese airstrikes, searched for submarines, rescued American sailors and Japanese merchant sailors, and supported the invasion of Okinawa.
The ship also took part in operations during the Korean War, supporting carriers as it attacked North Korean supply lines. The ship received nine stars for its service during World War II and two for the Korean War, according to the Navy.
The ship is the first ship in the Navy, named after more than one person, the park said. It was decommissioned in 1965 and donated in 1977 to Buffalo, where it has been designated a landmark since 1986.
In 2018, the ship began to sink due to a crack in its hull, according to local news station WKBW-TV. The park ran a fundraising campaign to pay for the renovations, raising $ 1 million by the end of 2021.
Repairs to the ship began last summer, but were halted in October, a delay Mr Marzelo attributed to the state of the lake.
He said the water must be at least 54 degrees so that the epoxy used in the repairs can adhere to the ship’s steel. Repairs were expected to resume on Monday before the new breach developed. The ship is not moored in deep water: when it sails, there is about five feet of water under the ship, according to the city’s public works department.
“We will straighten the ship,” he said. “She won’t come down.”
In addition to The Sullivans, the park is home to three other Navy ships: the USS Little Rock, the USS Croaker and the PTF-17. These ships, Mr Marzelo said, “will be inaccessible to visitors until we find out”.
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