The recovery effort to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the work centered around securing and reinforcing the lines mooring the vessel and restarting the pumps to remove water from inside the hull as engineers survey and take measurements to ensure safe balance as the water is removed.
Trust the process
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Embattled ship
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
On deck
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Turret view
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Containing contaminants
Workers install new boom material around the USS The Sullivans as the recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
No room for error
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Stern
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Open for business
Rich Prince cleans off tables on the patio at Liberty Hound as the restaurant prepares to open for lunch amid the recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
SOS
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continued April 20 at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.
Still listing
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
Calculated measurements
Workers take measurements from the deck as the recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
Dangerous lines
Mooring lines that connect the USS The Sullivans to the dock were especially taut on Wednesday.
Underwater
Water is well over the deck on the starboard side as the recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
Measuring up
Workers take measurements from the bow as the recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
Angled
The recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
New equipment
Workers move a large gang plank into position as the recovery operation to right the listing USS The Sullivans continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
Removing contaminants
A tanker truck parked on Marine Drive is recovering oil, diesel and other contaminants from aboard the USS The Sullivans as the recovery operation to right the listing warship continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
In the eight days since the USS The Sullivans began leaning and taking on water, both organizations overseeing the dive and the divers have faced many obstacles: battering winds, the precarious position of the ship and murky water that limits visibility.
"I don't suspect there will be additional damage to the ship," said Lexia Littlejohn, commander of the Buffalo sector of the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Today I am putting out an SOS across the federal government: Save Our Sullivans,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said.
Officials who provided an update Saturday on the World War II-era destroyer said the ship is stable but not completely out of danger from sinking.
It remains "too early to tell" what the long-term prognosis is for The Sullivans, said Paul Marzello, president and CEO of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.
“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.
The USS The Sullivans has taken on water after a failure of a deteriorating section of hull and is listing to one side as crews begin the proc…
Diesel pumps worked throughout the night and have reached a point of "equilibrium," in that they are pumping out as much water as is leaking into the vessel, said Paul Marzello, president and CEO of the park.
"I am extremely confident in the people of the Buffalo naval park, and the people of Buffalo," Kelly Sullivan said, her voice breaking with emotion. "I know that they will come together and help."
Officials don’t know how big of a problem it is, but say the worst of it is over. The U.S. Coast Guard estimated Thursday afternoon there were more than 3 million gallons of water inside the ship.
