Governor Kathy Hochul was in Buffalo on Monday to announce that $10 million will be allocated to repair and restore two World War II battleships along Buffalo’s waterfront.
Both the USS The Sullivans, which partially sank in 2022, and the USS Croaker will receive funding for repairs to ensure they remain watertight.
Officials say that while temporary measures have been taken to stabilize the Sullivan since her partial sinking, long-term repairs are needed.
“USS The Sullivans is a tribute to our heroes – to a family that lost all five sons in the Pacific and to the 400,000 Americans who died in combat in World War II,” Hochul said in a statement. “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.”
According to officials, the USS Sullivans was decommissioned in 1965 and moved to the Buffalo Naval & Military Park in 1977, while the USS Croaker was decommissioned in 1971 and moved to the park in 1988.
According to state officials, the total cost of restoring the two ships is nearly $21 million. Both ships are scheduled to be drydocked in Lake Erie in September 2025 so that necessary repairs can be made. The ships will return to their current location in the Port of Buffalo in spring 2026.
“The Sullivans and the Croaker are central components of the Naval and Servicemen’s Park, irreplaceable pieces of history and mainstays of one of Erie County’s most visited sites,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said in a statement. “We honor and remember our servicemen and servicewomen when we preserve treasures like these, and I thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to preserving these ships for future generations.”
The governor’s office said the $10 million commitment comes in addition to other local, state and federal funds, including $7.5 million provided by Senate Majority Leader 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 Peoples-Stokes.
