BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The U.S. Coast Guard announced that it has responded, along with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, City of Buffalo, and Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, to a fuel leak on USS Croaker and water aboard the USS The Sullivans.
The Coast Guard said recent inspections of the two permanently moored vessels identified "an intermittent discharge of petroleum products from a pinhole in one of the fuel tanks aboard USS Croaker" and water abord the USS The Sullivans. At this time, there are no reports of injury or impact to local wildlife.
According to the Coast Guard, assets are being staged in preparation for removing the fuel and contaminated water from both vessels on March 16. The USS Croaker holds an estimated 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel and potentially 115,000 gallons of oily water on board. USS The Sullivans has an estimated 30,000 gallons of oily water on board.
“The safety of the public, the responders, mitigation of environmental concerns and the preservation of a national historic landmark remain our top concerns."
Back in 2022, the Sullivans partially sank into the Buffalo River. Naval park leadership reported a major breach in the hull caused the ship to take on water.
Since then, the park has continued patching dozens of smaller holes in the ship's hull with concrete.
Over that time, more than $21 million in funding was raised in hopes of getting The Sullivans, as well as USS Croaker, to dry dock for emergency repairs to stabilize the ships’ hulls and preserve them for years to come. But, in June 2025, in the Naval Park's newsletter, it said repairs scheduled for October 2025 would have to wait until at the earliest, October 2026 "due to administrative delays related to insurance and documentation letterhead." You can find more information here.
