Visit Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, New York

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The Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, formerly known as The Buffalo Naval and Servicemen's Park, is a museum on the shore of Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York. It is home to several decommissioned US Naval vessels, including the Cleveland-class cruiser USS Little Rock, the Fletcher-class destroyer USS The Sullivans, and the submarine USS Croaker. All three are open to the public for tours. In 1976 the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency and the Buffalo Naval and Servicemen's Park requested the United States Department of the Navy supply a decommissioned naval vessel to construct a naval park. The construction of the Buffalo Naval and Servicemen's Park (later named the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park) started in 1977. The park was opened to the public on July 4, 1979. The Cleveland-class cruiser USS Little Rock and the Fletcher-class destroyer USS The Sullivans were part of the original display. In 1988 the Gato-class submarine USS Croaker was added. In 1989 the Croaker underwent a refit. The ships in the park remain property of the United States Navy which inspects them annually. The park has gone through a few major changes in recent years. In 2003 the ships were moved slightly to the foot of Pearl and Main streets. The park now abuts Buffalo's Canalside and the historic Commercial Slip within it. New structures were added including a new museum, and the new Liberty Hound restaurant opened in the summer of 2012. On December 16, 2017 the USS Little Rock (LCS-9) was commissioned at the park alongside its namesake the USS Little Rock (CG-4). The commissioning was the first time a United States Naval vessel was commissioned alongside its namesake.

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