The USS The Sullivans Taking on Water (copy)

The USS The Sullivans at Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The decommissioned Fletcher-class destroyer is taking on water and seems to be listing on its Port (left) side.

James P. McCoy / Buffalo News

The West Herr Automotive Group has donated $50,000 to a new fund to save USS The Sullivans, a sinking World War II-era destroyer, the company said in a Saturday statement.

On Friday, officials with the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park, where USS The Sullivans is docked, revealed that the 78-year-old ship had sustained $1 million in hull damages and is taking on water. The park has since launched a $100,000 fundraising campaign to diffuse the cost of emergency repairs. By Friday evening, the Park had already raised a quarter of that amount, WBFO reported.

USS Sullivans, which saw action in World War II, the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, is named for five brothers and Navy sailors who were killed in action when torpedoes struck their ship. The destroyer was donated to the Naval Park in 1977. In a statement, West Herr chief executive Scott Bieler said the company "immediately felt compelled to help" when it learned about the situation.

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