BUFFALO, N.Y. — Head down to Canalside any time of year, and there’s no way you can miss the massive World War II ships docked at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. Head down to Canalside this time of year specifically, and there’s no way you can miss the sharp winds coming off the cold water as winter gives way to spring.
The weather this time of the year can test even the heartiest of Western New York residents, and a couple of weeks ago the destroyer ship USS The Sullivans took a big hit.
I spoke with Paul Marzello who is the president and CEO of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. He listed high winds and the springtime freeze-thaw cycles as two major weather conditions responsible for the hull damage sustained by The Sullivans.
High winds, especially winds from the southwest send debris and chunks of ice from Lake Erie right into the area where the ships are moored. The hull of the Sullivans is as thin as one-fourth inch in some spots, so a hit from a log or a particularly sharp chunk of ice is enough to bore a hole pretty quickly. Wind can also cause dramatic changes in water levels and the ships, which are indeed floating, can bounce around quite a bit.
RELATED: What is a seiche?
Smaller cracks are also bound to form with time and The Sullivans is now 78 years old. Water can seep into those small cracks and then freeze in cold weather patterns. When water freezes, it expands and puts additional pressure on the steel hull which can make the cracks even larger.
Both of the issues that Marzello mentioned come up every year for The Sullivans, at least on a minor scale. But after years and years of those harsh conditions, the damage compounded leading to much bigger problems this spring. Marzello said that his team knew that The Sullivans would be due for major work in 2021 even before February’s damage was found.
But true to form, the Buffalo community has once again come together in a big way, helping raise the money needed for repairs through the All Hands on Deck Campaign. Once the full amount is raised, repair work can begin to ensure The Sullivans can continue to battle against Buffalo’s worst weather for years to come.
New episodes of Heather’s Weather Whys are posted to the WGRZ YouTube channel every Wednesday evening. If you have a weather question for Heather to answer, send it to her at heather.waldman@wgrz.com or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.
