Honoring the Incredible Sacrifice of the Sullivan Family (Winter 2024 | Volume: 69, Issue: 1)

Honoring the Incredible Sacrifice of the Sullivan Family

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Authors: Edwin S. Grosvenor

Historic Era: Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)

Historic Theme:

Subject:

Winter 2024 | Volume 69, Issue 1

The five Sullivan brothers all perished in the sinking of the USS Juneau on November 13, 1942. National Archives
The five Sullivan brothers all perished in the sinking of the USS Juneau on November 13, 1942 during the battle of Guadalcanal. National Archives

On November 13, 1942, five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa – George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert – died when the light cruiser USS Juneau was torpedoed and sank off Guadalcanal during World War II. 

It remains the greatest combat-related loss of life by a single family in American military history.

The Navy awarded five Purple Hearts posthumously to the grief-stricken parents.

Two weeks before, Juneau had fought in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in the Solomon Sea and helped turn back the Japanese counterattack against US Marines on Guadalcanal.

Then, two weeks later, in the naval battle of Guadalcanal, Juneau was part of a screen protecting transports and cargo vessels when 30 Japanese planes attacked the task force. Juneau’s anti-aircraft fire was effective, shooting down six enemy torpedo bombers. But, in the nerve-wracking battle, Juneau was hit by a torpedo from a Japanese destroyer and forced to withdraw.

The Sullivans receive five Purple Heart awards
Thomas and Alleta Sullivan receive five Purple Hearts in a 1944 ceremony at the Anderson House in Washington, DC.

On the morning of November 13, this ship and two other damaged cruisers were limping south for repairs when a torpedo struck Juneau in the same place it had been hit during the battle. There was a massive explosion and the ship broke in two and disappeared in just 20 seconds. 

Fearing more attacks from the Japanese submarine, and wrongly assuming from the massive explosion that there were no survivors, the other two cruisers, Helena and San Francisco, departed without trying to rescue any survivors. An estimated 100 sailors, including two Sullivan brothers, were left in the open ocean, prey to shark attacks and the elements. Only ten men survived until the rescue eight days later.

In total, 687 officers and sailors, including the five Sullivan brothers, were killed in action as a result of the cruiser's sinking.

The USS Juneau sunk in 20 minutes after a Japanese torpedo slammed into an ammunition magazine and caused an explosion that ripped the ship in half.
The USS Juneau sank in 20 minutes after a Japanese torpedo slammed through its hull and detonated in a main ammunition magazine, causing a massive explosion that ripped the ship in half. National Archives

But, back in Waterloo, Iowa, the parents of the Sullivan boys went weeks without official news as rumors swirled around the town.

Once thought to be lost, two of the Sullivan Purple Hearts are on display at the Society of the Cincinnati in Washington, DC.
Once thought to be lost, two of the