USS The Sullivans and the Five Brothers Lost at Sea
George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert Sullivan joined the Navy together on January 3, 1942. They refused to serve unless they could stay on the same ship.
This request went against Navy rules meant to prevent multiple deaths in one family, but officials made an exception.
The brothers wanted to fight after their friend Bill Ball died on the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack.
George and Frank had served in the Navy before, but their younger brothers had not.
Assignment to USS Juneau
All five Sullivan brothers joined the crew of USS Juneau, a new light cruiser, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on February 3, 1942.
The ship entered service on February 14, 1942. This 541-foot warship carried almost 700 sailors and was built to protect other ships from air attacks.
The Sullivans weren’t the only brothers aboard – at least 30 sets of brothers served on Juneau.
Two brothers from other families transferred to different ships before the final battle.
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
USS Juneau fought in many sea battles after moving to the Pacific in August 1942.
The ship helped American forces fighting for control of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. On November 12, 1942, Japanese planes attacked American ships.
Juneau’s gunners shot down six enemy aircraft.
That night, Admiral Callaghan ordered Juneau to help stop Japanese ships heading to bomb Henderson Field, the key American airstrip.
The ships entered a strait nicknamed “Ironbottom Sound” because so many vessels sank there.
The Torpedo That Crippled USS Juneau
During the night battle on November 13, 1942, ships fired at barely visible targets in the darkness.
The Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze launched torpedoes at the American fleet. One torpedo hit Juneau’s side.
The blast broke the ship’s keel, cut power systems, and slowed the vessel to 13 knots. The captain ordered the damaged ship to leave the battle.
Engine rooms filled with toxic fumes, forcing sailors to move to the upper decks. Juneau joined other damaged American ships heading toward the Allied base 600 miles away.
The Sinking of USS Juneau
Later that same day, Japanese submarine I-26 spotted the group of damaged American ships. The submarine fired two torpedoes at USS San Francisco.
Both missed San Francisco, but one hit Juneau in the same spot damaged earlier. The torpedo struck near the ammunition storage.
A huge explosion tore the ship apart. The blast threw pieces of the ship high into the air and scattered wreckage across the ocean.
Juneau sank in less than a minute, disappearing before nearby ships could help.
Hoover Delays the Rescue
Captain Hoover of USS Helena, now in charge of the damaged fleet, made a crucial choice. He ordered all ships to keep moving without stopping to look for survivors.
Hoover feared Japanese submarines lurked nearby. He asked a passing B-17 bomber to report the sinking to headquarters.
Following orders not to use their radio, the bomber crew waited until landing hours later to deliver the message.
Staff filed the report with routine paperwork, where it sat unnoticed for days. No rescue ships or planes searched for survivors until eight days after the sinking.
The Fate of the Five Brothers
Around 140 sailors survived when Juneau first exploded. Many had serious injuries and floated in shark-filled waters without food or fresh water.
Survivors later reported that Francis, Joseph, and Madison Sullivan died instantly in the blast that sank the ship.
Albert Sullivan lived through the explosion but drowned the next day, too weak to hold onto a life raft. George Sullivan, the oldest brother, survived for about five days.
Confused from drinking seawater and heartbroken over his brothers, he swam away from his raft and vanished.
How the News Reached Home
The Navy kept the sinking secret to prevent Japan from learning about American losses.
When letters from the Sullivan brothers stopped arriving in Waterloo, Iowa, their parents grew worried. Stories about the missing brothers spread through town.
In January 1943, their mother Alleta wrote to the Navy asking about her sons.
Before getting an official answer, three Navy officers came to the Sullivan home. When the father asked which son they had news about, an officer said, “I’m sorry. All five.”
President Roosevelt sent a personal letter to the parents expressing the nation’s gratitude.
The Decision to Name a Ship in Their Honor
The death of five brothers from one family stunned Americans.
Newspapers across the country ran front-page stories, making the Sullivans powerful symbols of sacrifice during the war.
On February 10, 1943, the Navy made an unusual decision. They changed the name of a destroyer being built from “Putnam” to “The Sullivans.”
President Roosevelt himself chose the unusual format with “The” included to show the ship honored all five brothers.
No American warship had ever been named for multiple people before, making this a special tribute.
The Commissioning of USS The Sullivans
Workers finished building USS The Sullivans in early 1943. On April 4, the ship slid down the ramp at the San Francisco shipyard.
Alleta Sullivan, mother of the five brothers, served as ship sponsor.
Fighting back tears, she broke the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow during the launch ceremony.
The Navy commissioned USS The Sullivans on September 30, 1943, with Commander Gentry as its first captain.
The ship took the motto “We Stick Together,” the same words the brothers used when refusing to serve apart.
Visiting USS The Sullivans at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park
The USS The Sullivans welcomes visitors at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park at 1 Naval Park Cove in Buffalo, New York.
The park opens daily from 10am to 5pm, April through October, with weekend-only hours during winter months.
Admission costs $15 for adults and $8 for children as of 2025. Tours include access to the destroyer’s deck, crew quarters, and combat areas.
The museum building next to the ship displays Sullivan brothers memorabilia and explains their story.
Nearby attractions include Canalside Buffalo’s waterfront district, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library and Buffalo City Hall both lie within walking distance.
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