Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The USS The Sullivans continues to list dramatically at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park along the Buffalo waterfront after taking on millions of gallons of water beginning late Wednesday night.
"Right now she's stable," Paul Marzello, CEO of the park, told WBEN during an update on the situation Friday. "We think that we are at equilibrium, which means there's an amount of water that is going out as equal as coming in."
That equilibrium was reached after giant industrial-sized diesel powered pumps have been working round the clock in keeping up with the water that is coming from a breach in the hull of the historic ship. An even greater volume of water could be pumped from the ship, says Marzello, but they are moving judiciously in ensuring the water being pumped from the ship is being handled in an environmentally sound fashion.
The Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Bidco Marine Group and Miller Environmental are meeting in periodic strategy sessions to assess the situation and come up with a plan to move forward in righting the ship.
Complicating matters is the weather with extreme winds causing a rise in the water level and making the ship buoyant again and then potentially returning to rest on the bottom when the water levels again recede. "We don't know what that's going to mean," said Marzello and they're taking the situation hour by hour and day by day. "Its going to take two or three days to find out where we're at."
Divers have been able to only make initial assessments and have not been able to survey the actual breach as the water conditions have been unsafe. Once conditions allow for it, divers will be tethered and go from compartment to compartment in the ship's hull and work to clear water and prevent new water from filling-in.
"I'm feeling good," said Marzello as he emphasized that a long term plan is not part of their conversations at this point but he ensures the public that the ship will indeed be 'righted'.
