by Shane E. Stephenson (Author)
The Buffalo Naval Park, the largest inland naval park in the country, was established in 1977 to honor, educate, inspire, and preserve. The largest artifacts in the collections are the USS Little Rock, USS The Sullivans, and USS Croaker, and each has its own compelling story to tell. Little Rock and The Sullivans came to Buffalo in 1977 from the Philadelphia shipyard and have been on display since 1979. Croaker came to the naval park in 1988 after serving as a museum ship in Groton, Connecticut. The Sullivans is part of the captivating story of the Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. Few families sacrificed as much as the Sullivan family did, and the ship represents Gold Star Families from across the United States. Croaker, as part of the Silent Service, sank 11 Japanese ships over the course of six war patrols during World War II. Little Rock better represents the Cold War era, as it was converted along with five other ships using the US Navy's first guided-missile program, which was created in 1955.