Ghosts, Secrets, and Hidden History

Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, perched along the waterfront of Lake Erie, isn’t your typical military museum. With its imposing decommissioned naval vessels and riveting exhibits, the park offers a deep dive into America’s military history—but it’s the eerie tales and lesser-known stories that linger long after your visit.

One of the park’s most famous attractions is the USS The Sullivans, a Fletcher-class destroyer named in honor of five brothers who tragically perished aboard the USS Juneau during World War II. Their story is heartbreaking, but it’s what some visitors claim to have experienced aboard the ship that chills the spine. Over the years, staff and guests alike have reported unexplainable phenomena: the sound of footsteps in empty corridors, lights flickering without cause, and even the distant echo of voices. One particularly unsettling tale involves a crewman’s apparition spotted near the bunks. Paranormal investigators who’ve visited the ship have documented anomalies, suggesting that some spirits have yet to disembark. The legend goes that the grief and loss tied to the Sullivans left a spiritual mark that continues to manifest to this day.

Another ship docked at the park, the USS Little Rock, holds secrets of its own. As a Cleveland-class light cruiser later converted into a guided-missile cruiser, the Little Rock was a technological marvel of its time. What few know is that during the Cold War, it played a critical role in shadowing Soviet submarines, its advanced systems designed for top-secret surveillance missions. Exploring the ship’s labyrinth of corridors and command rooms reveals a palpable sense of urgency and secrecy. If you listen closely in the ship’s war room, you might feel

The waters surrounding the park have their own spectral lore. During the Revolutionary War, Hessian mercenaries were rumored to have drowned in the area while attempting to navigate the icy waters. Some say their restless spirits still haunt the shoreline. Visitors have reported strange ripples in calm water and an inexplicable sense of unease when walking near the docks after dark. Adding to the mystique, local divers have discovered remnants of shipwrecks near the harbor—sunken relics of Buffalo’s days as a bustling port city. These artifacts serve as eerie reminders of lives lost in maritime disasters, and the park’s location seems to amplify the whispers of the past.

The USS Croaker, a Gato-class submarine, offers an entirely different kind of intrigue. Deployed during World War II, it sank Japanese ships and later served in the Cold War. Crawling through the narrow hatches and cramped quarters, you’ll feel the weight of history in every creak and groan of the steel. What many don’t realize is that submariners believed their vessels held a unique kind of energy, a sense of life that made them more than machines.

Some modern-day visitors to the Croaker have reported feelings of intense claustrophobia—even those not prone to it—as though the submarine is still alive, exerting its presence on anyone who dares enter. Others claim to hear faint mechanical hums or whispers when standing near the torpedo bays, even though the sub’s engines have long since fallen silent.