In the more than two weeks since the USS The Sullivans began to list to its starboard side, stern expressions were common when officials discussed the state of the sinking naval ship.
The news improved significantly Friday, however, as the U.S. Coast Guard and Buffalo Naval Park revealed that more than 33 holes have been plugged and the ship is not listing as much. The holes ranged in size from the diameter of a dime to two and half inches.
“It's the first time in 16 days we've seen a lot of smiles being cracked around this whole situation,” said Paul J. Marzello Sr., president and CEO of the Buffalo Naval Park.
Among the positive developments was that the ship's list, once measured at 20 degrees, had dropped to 4 degrees by Friday's measurement, according to Capt. Lexia Littlejohn, commander of the Buffalo sector of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Because oily waste and water have been pumped from the ship and no further large breaches have occurred, the Sullivans' stern — previously resting on the silt on the bottom of the basin — has begun to float again. As the stern was raised Friday, a diver discovered a hole that was previously blocked from sight. The hole was being evaluated before its repair. The ship's bow still touched the bottom of the Buffalo River.
T&T Salvage, an international recovery organization hired to help guide the Sullivans' rescue, had its plan to refloat the decommissioned U.S….
