BUFFALO, N.Y. — USS The Sullivans is an old ship, and the weather hasn't helped her.
"The ship was taking in water more than the pumps can keep up with, so she's starting to list and we needed to raise some immediate funds to take care of some emergency repairs," said Dan Mecca, a volunteer with The Buffalo and Erie County Naval Military Park.
The All Hands on Deck campaign was already focused on raising money to offset a loss of revenue from the pandemic, but now USS The Sullivans needs immediate attention, and $100,000 will help with emergency repairs.
"What was really unbelievable was the generosity of West Herr, the automotive group. They came through with a $50,000 community challenge gift, which was just absolutely transformative. It really did give us the shot in the arm we needed. We're going to be able to repair The USS The Sullivans and get her to the point we can make those long term repairs," Mecca said.
He said the hull needs to be repaired with a more permanent solution that's going to take about $1 million.
The 78-year-old ship is a Fletcher-Class destroyer that saw action in World War II and Korea.
It's named after the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. They all died when their ship, USS Juneau, was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.
It is the fist ship named for more than one person. Its motto is "we stick together," and that is what Buffalo is doing. Donations are coming in from across the country.