After locating the wreck of the famous aircraft carrier USS Lexington earlier this month, a team funded by billionaire Paul Allen reports discovery of another ship lost in the early days of World War II. The USS Juneau, which sank off Guadalcanal in 1942. 683 crewmen died, including the five Sullivan brothers - we have more from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.
George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa all joined the navy in early 1942, and insisted on serving together. They were assigned to the new light cruiser USS Juneau, which was specialized as an anti-aircraft escort.
On the eighth of November, Juneau helped drive off a Japanese attack on a convoy of troop ships, and was credited with six planes destroyed. On the night of November 13th, Juneau was hit by a torpedo during a furious close range battle on the first night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
The following morning, as a group of damaged ships limped away for repairs, Juneau took another torpedo, this one from the submarine I-26. An eyewitness reported that Juneau didn’t sink: “She blew up with all the fury of an erupting volcano.”
Believing no one could have survived and worried about more torpedoes, the rest of the ships sailed off – leaving at least a hundred men in the water. Adrift for ten days on life rafts, all but fourteen died from their wounds, from exposure and from shark attacks. The officer who left them behind was relieved of his command.
The death of the five brothers became a national story and inspired the 1944 movie, “The Fighting Sullivans.” Two destroyers have since been named USS The Sullivans in their honor; by coincidence, the research vessel Petrel discovered the wreck of their ship on Saint Patrick’s Day.
