Painting the USS Little Rock
BUFFALO, NY – This time of year, outdoor improvement projects are in full swing. And one of the biggest painting jobs in Western New York has commenced on the city’s waterfront.
Ironically, it is being done with one of the smallest crews.
When the USS Little Rock, a retired warship docked at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park, was on active duty, upwards of 1,200 sailors could be drafted to perform such a task. These days, the job of repainting the ship’s entire port side hull has primarily fallen to two members of the park’s staff, Joe Pawli and Todd Caughill.
It’s a chore that has to be done every five years, according to Park Superintendent John Branning.