Why is the USS Sullivan sinking in Buffalo?
Ava Arnold
Updated on February 22, 2026
It was decommissioned in 1965 and donated in 1977 to Buffalo, where it has been designated a landmark for decades. In 2018, the ship started sinking because of a crack in its hull, according to a local news station, WKBW-TV. The park ran a fund-raising campaign to pay for the repairs, raising $1 million by late 2021.
What sank the USS Sullivan?
The Sullivans were all killed when a Japanese submarine torpedoed their ship, the USS Juneau, during the Battle of Guadalcanal on Nov. 13, 1942, The Des Moines Register reported.Why did the Sullivans sink?
They were killed about 11 months later when a Japanese torpedo struck their ship. The USS The Sullivans was launched in April of 1943 and decommissioned in 1965.Is the USS Sullivan still sinking?
— After nearly a month, the USS The Sullivans is floating again and is almost completely righted. The Buffalo Naval Park shared a time-lapse video of the ship sinking and then being refloated. The U.S. Coast Guard says the ship is still listing slightly in the range of .What happened to the Sullivan in Buffalo?
USS The Sullivans was decommissioned in 1965 earning 11 battle stars for meritorious performances, and is now a historic landmark moored at the Buffalo Waterfront. On board you will see what it was like to serve as a “Tin Can Sailor” along with 310 of your shipmates.USS The Sullivans partially sinking at Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park
What happened to the Sullivan ship?
Most of the sailors aboard were killed, including the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa. The heavily-damaged naval cruiser sank so quickly in the Pacific Ocean, and the risk of further attack was so great, that rescue efforts didn't begin for a number of days.Where is the Sullivan ship at?
The USS The Sullivans is owned and maintained as a museum ship by Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, the largest inland Naval Park in the United States.How deep is the water where the USS Sullivan is?
According to Marzello, the ship will not sink entirely as the lake is only about five feet deep. The breach is on the starboard side of the ship, according to Marzello. USS The Sullivans is tilting to one side after taking on water.What happened to the parents of the five Sullivans?
Sullivan, mother of the five Sullivan brothers who were killed when their warship sank during World War II, died here today following a stroke. She was 77 years old.What was unusual about the Sullivan brothers deaths?
The Fate of the Sullivan BrothersIn a bizarre sequence of events, the Navy did nothing for eight days to help the Juneau's stricken survivors. During these eight days, all but 10 of the men died from their wounds, exposure, drowning, and shark attacks.