BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Divers took to the water surrounding the USS The Sullivans Wednesday as crews continue work on saving the ship.
The original plan was for these divers to get in the water Tuesday, but mother nature got in the way. Wednesday’s dive is just part of the reason officials say they’ve made significant progress in saving The Sullivans.
With Wednesday’s decent weather, BIDCO divers were able to start an underwater assessment of the ship.
United States Coast Guard Captain Lexia Littlejohn said it’s important to take a look at the outside of The Sullivans first, to get an idea of how exactly the water is getting inside. Once they figure that out, crews will decide whether to go into the ship.
Officials have been looking at the original renderings of The Sullivans in order to prepare for what’s next.
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“Some of the things that they’re looking for is the condition of the hull. Where is the water coming in from? Can we repair it? Because if we can repair it, we can right the ship and get it to a place where it’s in a stable situation,” Littlejohn said.
After making an air assessment, officials said they see no damage to the shoreline, which was something they were originally concerned about. Crews were also able to start pumping water from the ship again.
Littlejohn said after reinforcing the boom Tuesday, they were able to contain the oily-waste water that was coming from the ship.
Water is now getting pumped out at a rate of 300 gallons per minute.
Marlee Tuskes is a reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.