BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Western New Yorkers spent Thursday afternoon taking in a historic day at the Buffalo Naval Park.
Western New Yorkers have been gathering all afternoon to see The Sullivans. Tonight at 11, hear what the ship means to them…plus get the latest on efforts to save The Sullivans. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/GSNSInNuUp
— Natalie Fahmy (@NatalieFahmy) April 14, 2022
"About two or three hours we've been watching it slowly sink,” Noah Juliano said.
"It’s very sad and disheartening after what the boat has been through," Wendy Zebehazy said. "Where else are you going to see this, you'll never see it again, so it's really something."
Throughout the afternoon people gathered to see U.S.S. the Sullivans as rescue crews pumped water out of the ship.
"No one's giving up,” Joe Brennan said. “No one's quitting here and everyone's working to make things better than ever."
"It’s a treasure for Western New York," Wendy Zebehazy said.
Noah Juliano said he remembers taking field trips on the boat when he was younger and now, he said he worries about the ship’s future.
"They've preserved it fairly well over the years and now you see it in its current state, and you have to wonder whether history was preserved or not,” Juliano said.
Naval Park CEO Paul Marzello said work to fix the ship was supposed to begin on Monday; he said the issue is on the lower right side.
"We were a few days short of that magic day,” Marzello said. “Not a lucky spell for us."
But he said nothing will stop them from preserving the ship.
"We will right this ship,” Marzello said. “It will not go down. And we are taking it extremely seriously to make sure we take all the measures to correct her as soon as possible."
"It a tough day,” Brennan said. “But we're from Buffalo, we're not afraid of tough."
