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When it comes to the history of our Navy - or the history
our nation for that matter - there are not too many families
that have sacrificed more than the Sullivans. Shortly after
the devastating Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, the family
would send all 5 of their sons to sea to serve their country
together. Not one of the sons ... Joseph, Francis, Albert,
Madison and George ... would return, following the sinking
of their ship in the Pacific in November 1942.
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Sullivan brothers on USS Juneau (Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison
and George Sullivan (from left to right) on board USS Juneau (CL-52)
at the time of her commissioning ceremonies at the New York Navy
Yard, 14 February 1942. All were lost with the ship following the 13
November 1942 Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The brothers are
(left/right) ... Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison and George
Sullivan. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Naval History and Heritage
Command)
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Growing up in an era that saw both the first world war in Europe,
as well as the crash of the stock market and following Great
Depression here at home, life for the Sullivan brothers was anything
but easy. But like many tough, hardworking Americans of the time,
the brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, found ways to get by.
School was probably not a top priority for the Sullivans, which was
also pretty common for young men in small-town America at the time.
Not one of the brothers completed high school, and according to the
Bruce Kucklick's novel, The Fighting Sullivans, the brothers most
likely jumped around from school, to odd job, to unemployment, and
back to school.
In 1937, perhaps after having a tough time
finding consistent work at home, the two oldest brothers, Frank and
George, joined the peacetime Navy. The brothers were 21 and 22 when
they left Iowa, and thanks to standard practice of the Navy at the
time, they were able to get stationed on the same ship, USS Hovey
(DD 208).
Although the ship spent most of its time at anchor
in California, the brothers were able to see the coast of Mexico;
they sailed the coast of Central America and even went through the
Panama Canal. Hovey also made it to port in Hawaii on a number of
occasions where Frank and George were able to link up with family
friends and a fellow set of Iowan brothers, Bill and Masten Ball, of
Fredericksburg, Iowa.
During the four years the two brothers
served in the Navy, a lot changed in the world. In 1939 World War II
broke out in Europe and by the time the Sullivans returned home to
Waterloo, the threat of American involvement was nearing a tipping
point.
Shortly before 8:00 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Japanese
forces launched an attack on Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack
lasted nearly two hours and resulted in heavy U.S. casualties and
extensive damage to the battle fleet. American deaths numbered more
than 2,000 with more than 1,000 military and civilians wounded.
Although all of the Sullivan brothers were home safe in Waterloo
on December 7th, they had a very personal connection to what
happened in Hawaii - Bill and Masten Ball were in Pearl Harbor,
stationed aboard USS Arizona (BB 39), on the day of the attack.
Although Masten survived, the Ball family soon learned that Bill had
lost his life aboard the ship.
Seeking to avenge the death of
Bill Ball, the Sullivans enlisted in the U.S. Navy, the day after
Christmas, 1941.
The brothers, along with two friends from
Waterloo, requested to serve together. After Boot Camp in Great
Lakes, Illinois, the group got their wish when the Navy gave them
orders to join the light cruiser USS Juneau (CL 52) at the New York
Navy Yard.
All five brothers were there on Valentine's Day,
1942, for the commissioning of Juneau. The Sullivans' service, along
with that of the four Rogers brothers, was highlighted during the
ceremony as it dispalyed the patriotism the country was still
feeling after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The Navy took the
opportunity to take the now-famous photo of the five brothers (show
above).
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The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52) during World War II
... top... off New York City on June 1, 1942 ... below... probably
at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides on September 17, 1942. Historic
Note: When the Pacific War began in Dec 1941, because of New
Hebrides' strategic location between Australia and the United
States, and later the proximity to the Solomon Islands, the islands
of Espiritu Santo, Efate, and others in the island group became
important military bases for the Allied war effort, hosting
airfields and naval anchorages. (Image created by USA Patriotism!
from U.S. Navy courtesy photos)
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Following a hurried shakedown cruise along the Atlantic
coast in the spring of 1942, Juneau took part in a couple of
small operations before being transferred to the Pacific
Theater in August, 1942.
Guadalcanal
In
early November, as the struggle for control of Guadalcanal
remained undecided, both the Allies and the Japanese were
desperately trying to reinforce the island with troops,
food, and ammunition while trying to prevent the other side
from doing the same. Although two American convoys arrived
safely on November 11-12, they had only partially unloaded
their cargoes when intelligence and reconnaissance reports
indicated strong Japanese naval forces were approaching the
island on a shore bombardment mission. As the American
transports steamed eastwards for safety, an American force
of five cruisers and eight destroyers took up station in the
strait between Guadalcanal and Florida Island (a stretch of
sea Sailors later gave the name "Ironbottom Sound" owing to the many
sunken ships littering the sea floor from the World War II naval
battles fought there).
After midnight on November 13, a
Japanese formation of two battleships, a light cruiser, and eleven
destroyers steamed past Savo Island, heading toward Guadalcanal. At
1:24 a.m. the ships appeared on American radar and the two forces
closed rapidly. Poor radar coordination, however, left the American
warships hopelessly trying to pin down the location of the Japanese
warships. The leading destroyers of both forces sighted each other
briefly in the darkness and at 1:45 a.m. USS Juneau received the
order, "Stand by to open fire." A few minutes later, just after a
Japanese searchlight flicked on, the lead American destroyers opened
fire at the Japanese warships at a mere 1,600 yards. The Japanese
fired back and the two formations quickly mingled together, firing
into each other at point-blank range in the darkness.
Just a
few minutes into the battle, Juneau was hit by a Japanese torpedo on
the port side near the forward fire room. The shock wave from the
explosion buckled the deck, shattered the fire control computers,
and knocked out power. The cruiser limped away from the battle, down
by the bow and struggling to maintain 18 knots. She rejoined the
surviving American warships at dawn and zig-zagged to the southeast
in company with two other cruisers and three destroyers.
About an hour before noon, the task force crossed paths with the
Japanese submarine I-26. At 11:01 a.m., the submarine fired three
torpedoes, all aimed at USS San Francisco (CA 38). None hit that
cruiser, but one passed beyond and struck Juneau on the port side
very near the previous hit. The ensuing magazine explosion blew the
light cruiser in half, killing most of the crew. According to one
witness: "the entire ship seemed to explode in one mighty column of
brown and white smoke and flame which rose easily a thousand feet in
the air."
A message from USS Helena (CL 50) to a nearby B-17
search plane reported that Juneau was lost at latitude 10 degrees
South and longitude 161 degrees East and that survivors were in the
water. The sinking location was subsequently modified to 10 degrees
South and 161 degrees East.
Because there was still risk of
another submarine attack and because the sections of Juneau sank in
only a few minutes, the American task force did not stay to check
for survivors. Approximately 115 of Juneau's crew survived the
explosion, but as Helena's message did not reach South Pacific Force
headquarters, in Noumea, New Caledonia, and there remained
uncertainty about the number of Japanese ships in the area, rescue
efforts did not begin for several days. Exposure, exhaustion, and
shark attacks whittled down the survivors and only ten men were
rescued from the water eight days after the sinking. None of the
Sullivan brothers survived.
Unfortunately, communication back
to the brothers' hometown in Iowa at the time was anything but
instant, and even after hearing rumors of the death of her five
sons, Mrs. Sullivan continued to support the war effort as evidenced
by a letter she wrote to the Bureau of Naval Personnel. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt sent the following personal letter to Mrs.
Sullivan expressing his and the nation's sorrow.
News of the
brothers' deaths became a rallying point for the war effort, with
posters, speeches and even a movie honoring their sacrifice.
Extensive newspaper and radio coverage of the incident made the loss
of the brothers a national story, and condolences poured in on the
Sullivan family from around the country.
The Sullivan's
mother, Alleta, eventually became a very important figure in the war
effort herself. She volunteered at the United Service Organization
(USO) to help make life easier for troops stateside and abroad. The
brothers' sister Genevieve also enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve
as a Specialist (Recruiter) Third Class and, with her parents,
visited more than two hundred manufacturing plants and shipyards
offering encouragement to employees in hopes their efforts would
bring the war to an end sooner. By January 1944, the family had
spoken to more than a million workers in 65 cities and reached
millions of others over the radio.
The story of service and
sacrifice in America is as old as the country itself, and the story
of the Sullivan brothers, in many ways, is very similar to that of
the men and women who choose to raise their hands and serve today:
they exude characteristics that made the nation great - integrity,
accountability, toughness and initiative; they seek to be a part of
something larger than themselves; and their purpose is the defense
of freedom.
By Arif Patani, Communication and Outreach Division
Naval History and Heritage Command
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2018
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