{"nrhp_refnum":"86000085","name":"USS THE SULLIVANS (destroyer)","other_names":["Dd-537"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"1 Naval Cove Pk.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buffalo","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.877585261000036,"lon":-78.88044934599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-01-14","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1986-01-14","areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"USS The Sullivans (DD-537) is a World War II Fletcher class destroyer built by Bethlehem Steel Company in San Francisco, launched April 4, 1943 and commissioned September 30, 1943. It is now a museum ship at Buffalo, New York.","why_significant":"The ship represents American destroyers that fought Japan in World War II. She belongs to the Fletcher class, the largest and most important U.S. destroyer class of the war. She was named for the five Sullivan brothers lost on USS Juneau in November 1942, earned 9 battle stars, and retains much of her wartime integrity.","narrative":"Berthed at Buffalo, New York, USS The Sullivans (DD-537) is a Fletcher class destroyer built by Bethlehem Steel Company in San Francisco. She was launched in April 1943 and commissioned that September. At 376 feet long, she carried five 5-inch guns, ten torpedo tubes, depth charges and antiaircraft batteries, with a wartime crew of 273. The Fletcher class was the largest and most important group of American destroyers in the war and formed the backbone of the destroyer force. The ship was named for the five Sullivan brothers killed when USS Juneau was lost in November 1942. From 1943 to 1945 she took part in some of the most intense combat in the Pacific and earned nine battle stars. She was modernized in the 1950s, losing one 5-inch gun and the original torpedo banks in favor of six deck-mounted tubes for Mark 44 torpedoes. She remains in good condition and retains much of her World War II integrity. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.","period_of_significance":"1943-1945","architect_builder":"Bethlehem Steel Company","architectural_style":"Fletcher class destroyer","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and altered; modernized in the 1950s. Interior closed to the public because of asbestos, with restoration and opening planned after removal. Used as a museum.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:38.575611-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/86000085_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000085/116b5a4dea-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000085/116b5a4dea-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_The_Sullivans_(DD-537)_underway_at_sea_on_29_October_1962_(USN_1063617).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_The_Sullivans_(DD-537)_underway_at_sea_on_29_October_1962_(USN_1063617).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315738","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_The_Sullivans_(DD-537)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7874697"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/uss-the-sullivans-destroyer-86000085/"}