BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Towering over the waterfront in downtown Buffalo is floating history for you to explore.
"We have a little bit of everything for everyone and we have a tank and aircraft displays," John Branning, Superintendent of Ships at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park said.
For about four decades now, these ships once filled with servicemen fighting for our freedoms, have given us a look back in time. The first thing you may notice is USS The Sullivans. About 95 percent of the ship is open for the public to explore.
"She is a Fletcher-class destroyer, a national historic landmark named after the five Sullivan who lost their lives off of Guadalcanal back in 1942," he explained.
The USS Little Rock is docked behind it.
"She's the last Cleveland Class Cruiser in existence and she served right in the end of WWII," Branning explained.
If you're looking for an experience under the sea, the USS Croaker is your best bet. The submarine also cruised the Pacific during WWII.
"As the story goes, it avenged the five Sullivan brothers by sinking the ship that was initially giving credit for damaging the ship the Sullivan brothers were on," he said.
Inside them you go back in time and see the medical quarters, where they slept, washed and ate. Tourists from all 50 states and more than 100 countries come to see the vessels.
"One of the barbers from the USS Little Rock, I let him into the barbershop and one of the first things he does is he opens the locker,” Branning said. “All of the barbers put their names on the locker. His was the first one and he started crying. It's kind of unique."
Ships that once sailed the world now have people flocking to them to marvel at their grandeur.
"It's an honor to be able to come on here every day," Branning said. "People should look at it that way. You are literally contributing to the heritage and legacy of our military by visiting our ships."