Buffalo's Naval & Military Park is now officially the home for a key piece in the U.S.S. Buffalo wartime submarine, a Los Angeles-class ship that was used during the Cold War.
Now, it could become one of the museum's most interactive exhibits.
The crew members from the park have been working since May to get a hold of the ship’s control panel, which would likely have been scrapped otherwise.
On Monday morning, the 1,200 lbs. panel arrived, thanks in part to Daniel Markeson, who originally served on the U.S.S. Buffalo between 1985-88.
Markeson, who saw a call for volunteers to help move the piece, actually drove from East Texas, up to Portland, Oregon to pick up the panel, before driving it all the way across the country to Buffalo.
Markeson did a lot of growing up on the ship, he said, so it’s the least he could do.
"I was in the Navy for 11 years, and the three that really matter were the three on the Buffalo,” said Markeson. “My thinking on this project was my kids are going to be able to take their kids to a museum in Buffalo and say not only did your grandpa work on this boat when this boat was doing really incredible things during the Cold War, but he brought some of the parts over here, and I thought that would be a pretty cool story."
Now, Markeson said, his entire rig smells like a submarine, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
He's not the only one comforted by the sight and smell of the massive piece.
“I never thought I’d see it again,” said Jim Plummer, who drove the submarine between 1996-2000. “It was a flood of emotions I didn’t expect... I think for younger kids, it’s going to be eye-opening. It’s something we used to keep the country protected, as we were out there growing as individuals.”
The original skipper and crew from the USS Buffalo will visit the city, many for the first time, at a press conference and celebration on Tuesday.
The event will be held at the Naval and Military Park Museum’s 2nd floor at 4:00pm. Light refreshments will be served at 4:30pm.
Additional pieces of the submarine are expected to arrive as early as 2019.