Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Nicer weather in Downtown Buffalo has been a welcoming sight for crews working at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park to recover the listing USS The Sullivans in the Buffalo Harbor.
"Crews continue to work daily to save the USS The Sullivans," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown during Friday's press briefing at the Naval Park. "The ship remains stable, and divers are now in their third day in the water."
It took a few days for divers to finally hit the water due to inclement weather earlier in the week, but they have made some significant progress in assessing the exterior of the 79-year-old vessel.
Sector Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Buffalo Sector, Cpt. Lexia Littlejohn said on Thursday divers were able to spot and plug a total of six holes, anywhere from dime size to 2-3 inches in diameter. That number has since doubled 24 hours later.
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"Divers completed their assessment of the starboard side, they were able to plug 10 holes. They've now moved on to the port side, two holes have been plugged thus far," Cpt. Littlejohn said during Friday's briefing. "We're definitely seeing that that is having an effect. The water ingress has slowed, as a result of those plugs being installed."
While efforts on the exterior of the ship continues, Cpt. Littlejohn says efforts continue to conduct spill responses for the USS The Sullivans. Some of the future plans for crews at the Buffalo Harbor include aerial and on-foot surveys for environmental evaluation of the area to make sure of no other issues to the public.
"We've also conducted air monitoring in the vicinity of the Liberty Hound and around the vessel," she added. "We are testing for three toxic gases: hydrogen sulfide, benzene and carbon monoxide. We didn't anticipate any levels to be read on the equipment, and all levels are, in fact, zero for those gases."
In addition to the repair and recovery efforts of the ship, a number of artifacts have also been recovered from the listing vessel. President and CEO of the Buffalo Naval Park, Paul Marzello says a total of 40 items were removed from "The Sullivans Room" on the deck of the ship, with all the artifacts remaining in-tact.
Recovery efforts with the ship will continue through the weekend, with the public being advised to heed all fencing in place on sidewalks and roadways, if they happen to be anywhere along the Buffalo Waterfront.
Hear more of the latest recovery efforts from Friday's press briefing in the player below:
***Photo: United States Coast Guard