The waterfront in Buffalo had been neglected for year but has undergone a transformation over the last few years. This area has quickly become one of our favorite places in the city.
In August, we decided to take the boys to the Naval & Military Park to check out the ships on display.
It was a gorgeous day. I took this picture as we drove downtown.
The first ship on the tour was the USS The Sullivans. From the website:
Fletcher Class Destroyer launched April 4, 1943 at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Francisco CA.
Commissioned on September 30, 1943. Decommissioned in 1965.USS The Sullivans, named for five brothers who lost their lives in the Battle of the Solomon Islands when their ship sunk, is an excellent example of the Fletcher class, the largest and most important class of U.S. destroyers in World War II. The Sullivans served with distinction in WWII, took part in intense combat in the Marshalls, Carolines, Mariannas, and Philippines, rescued many survivors from downed planes and damaged or sinking ships, and earned nine battle stars for her service.
The Sullivans also served in the Korean War, the Cuban Blockade and assisted in the rescue efforts for the nuclear submarine USS Thresher.
The story of the Sullivan brothers was the inspiration behind the movie “Saving Private Ryan”.
I didn’t take many pictures inside the ships. As you can imagine is was very close quarters and the lighting was terrible. And the boys were treating it as a race to get to the submarine at the end. Needless to say, we didn’t get to spend as much time as I’d have liked reading the information they had at all of the exhibits.
Next up was the USS Little Rock. From the website:
Cleveland class cruiser, later converted to Little Rock class guided missile cruiser. Launched August 27, 1944 and then commissioned June 17, 1945 at Cramp Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, PA.
Converted in 1960 at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, NJ. Decommissioned November 1976.The Little Rock was the first ship to bear the name of Little Rock, Arkansas. The only guided missile cruiser on display in the U.S., USS Little Rock is the sole survivor of the Cleveland class, the most numerous of U.S. wartime cruisers (29 vessels total). The Little Rock made four cruises to the Mediterranean and two to the North Atlantic. She served with distinction as flagship for both the Second and Sixth fleets.
USS Little Rock is now on display at this park and plays active parts in educational and entertaining activities such as overnight encampment programs and other events.
You can see the Air Force jet on display in the background of this picture:
Ian’s cub scout pack will be doing an overnight camp out on this ship in May. From what I’ve read, they board the ship and hang out playing games and watching movies until lights out. They will sleep on the bunks in the ship, prepare meals in the galley, and eat in the mess hall. Mike and Ian are pretty excited about it. I’m a little jealous. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for them.
A gorgeous day at the waterfront. Canalside is over where the blue/white/green flags are flying. The huge highway crossing the middle of the picture is called the Skyway. On the left, behind the Skyway, is the First Niagara Center. In the middle of the picture, the white building is the General Mills plant (which periodically makes the entire city smell like Cheerios).
Next up was the USS Croaker. From the website:
Gato Class submarine launched December 19, 1943. Commissioned April 21, 1944 at Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT. Converted December 11, 1953. Decommissioned December 20, 1971.
Built as part of the effort to assemble a major submarine force just prior to and after the U.S. entry into World War II, USS Croaker was sent to the Pacific to wage a war of attrition against Japan’s merchant marine and Navy. USS Croaker had 6 WWII pacific war patrols, was awarded 3 battle stars, and claimed 11 Japanese vessels including a cruiser, four tankers, two freighters, an ammunition ship, two escort craft, and a minesweeper.
After WWII, USS Croaker was converted and recommissioned as SSK-246 under the Hunter-Killer conversion program with a streamlined sail, snorkel, long range sonar, and machinery noise reduction. Routine cruises were made to the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean until the submarine was placed out of service in 1968.
The submarine then participated in various submarine operations as a Naval Reserve trainer from 1968 to 1971 until stricken from the Navy Register in 1971.
On the deck of the submarine:
(Matthew was D.O.N.E. with pictures at this point.)
Mike and I were surprised that the deck was wooden.
There were no pictures taken in the sub. Remember when I said the USS The Sullivans was close quarters? It felt like an enormous cruise ship next to the USS Croaker. The submarine was so cramped that Mike had to walk around nearly bent in half and you pretty much had to walk sideways down the hallways. I’m not usually bothered by those things but I was damn glad to get the hell out. I cannot imagine being on that thing when it was underwater. I’d probably need medicated. LOL
I will say, walking through the ships was pretty sobering. I have a lot of respect for the people that serve (and served) in the United States Armed Forces but touring the ships opens your eyes to the reality of service on those ships.
After we finished the ships, the boys were pretty much done with the educational portion of our day. Sometime I’d like to go back and look at the other exhibits that they have.
We walked over to Canalside and checked out what was going on there.
On Saturdays during the summer, they had an artisan market and musicians out. In addition, they had food trucks, ice cream stands, games to play, chairs to sit in, and lots to see. Mike and the boys tried out a bunch of games.
Here they were trying to use a jump rope (Matthew was trying to jump, behind the tree.)
http://youtu.be/7rE-H3COxok
Please note how windy it was in that video. I wore a knee-length dress that day so I planted my butt in a chair so as not to flash anyone when the wind blew. Also, just as an FYI, touring the ships mean climbing up and down 1903812 different stairwells/ladders. Wearing a dress was pretty much the worst idea ever. LOL