BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Tuesday at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval Park, people will come together to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the launch of USS The Sullivans.

Coinciding with the celebration, News 4 expects to hear an update on efforts to repair and keep the ship afloat. Congressman Brian Higgins, who is scheduled to join the celebration, previously announced that $490,000 in federal funding was secured in the 2022 budget.

In a conference last year, Naval Park President and CEO Paul Marzello called USS The Sullivans “a gift to Buffalo, New York.”

“She represents the courage and the honor and the commitment of not only the five Sullivan boys who that ship is named after, but the thousands of veterans that have served this country,” Marzello said.

The ship began to sink last year, leading to a prompt response from around the world to fix it. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and watery waste had to be pumped out of the World War II-era vessel.

As a result of the blizzard that pummeled Western New York right before Christmas, the ship ended up taking on water again. Much of The Sullivans has been reopened to the public.

You can watch the 80th anniversary celebration event at the top of this page at 10 a.m.