$10 million is coming to save two iconic World War II Naval vessels in Upstate New York.
Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement on Monday that the money will go to support repair and restoration work on the USS The Sullivans and the USS Croaker at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.
The USS The Sullivans is a Fletcher-class destroyer. It was named after brothers George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert Sullivan who lost their lives while serving aboard the USS Juneau when the ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Ballte of Guadalcanal.
The USS The Sullivans served in both World War II and Korea, earning nine battle stars in the former and two in the latter.
The ship was decommissioned in 1977 and donated to the naval and military park.
On April 13, 2022, the USS The Sullivans suffered a hull breach while moored at the naval park.
“USS The Sullivans is a tribute to our heroes — to a family that lost all five of its sons in the Pacific, and to the 400,000 Americans who died fighting in World War II,” Governor Hochul said. “As an iconic and recognizable symbol on Buffalo’s waterfront, my administration is committed to helping rebuild and restore this national treasure and symbol of perseverance.”
The USS Croaker is a Gato class submarine commissioned in 1944 and saw service in both World War II and the Cold War. The vessel was updated following the Second World War into a “hunter-killer” submarine to combat Russian threats during the Cold War.
Both vessels are currently moored alongside the USS Little Rock at the naval and military park.
The total restoration of both vessels is expected to cost nearly $21 million.
The $10 million dollar funding announced by the governor is in addition to the $7.5 million secured by US Senator Chuck Schumer, $1 million from the City of Buffalo, $1 million from Erie County, $1 million from State Senator Sean Ryan, and $500,000 from Assembly Majority Leader Crystal People-Stokes.
Current plans for restoration include moving the vessels to a dry dock on Lake Erie in September 2025 for repairs. The USS The Sullivan and USS Croaker will then return to Buffalo in Spring 2026 following the repairs.
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