BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A ship-wreck recently discovered off the coast of the Philippines, is shining a light on a dying breed of ships.

The USS Johnston had not been seen in nearly eight decades and sits more than 20,000 feet under the water, deeper than the Titanic.

The Johnston is a fletcher class destroyer and at the height of its production during World War II there were 175 in service.

Today, there are just four left, including the USS The Sullivans, docked at Buffalo’s Naval Park.

Director of Museum Collections at the Buffalo Naval Park Shane Stephenson told us, “The USS The Sullivans and the other fletcher class were built to be fast. So the hull was constructed of very thin steel. And then they made that up through speed. Alright, so 78 years later. All of them are about 78 years old. They have probably all been in the water the same amount of time, and it’s important to preserve these because they were such an important part of World War II.”

The naval park is raising money to make extensive repairs to the Sullivans, to keep her shipshape and above water for decades to come.