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The
Sullivan brothers were five siblings who all died during the same incident in
World War II, the sinking of the light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52), the
vessel on which they all served.
The
Sullivans were natives of Waterloo, Iowa. They were:
George
Thomas Sullivan, 27, Gunner's Mate Second Class
Francis
"Frank" Henry Sullivan, 25, Coxswain
Joseph
"Red" Eugene Sullivan, 23, Seaman Second Class
Madison
"Matt" Abel Sullivan, 22, Seaman Second Class
Albert
"Al" Leo Sullivan, 19, Seaman Second Class
They
enlisted on January 3, 1942 with the stipulation that they serve together.
The Navy had a policy of separating siblings, but this was not strictly
enforced. George and Frank had served in the Navy before but their brothers
had not.
The Juneau
fought in a number of naval engagements during the months-long Battle of
Guadalcanal. On November 13, 1942, the Juneau was struck by a torpedo
and had to withdraw. Later that morning, the Juneau was struck again,
this time from a torpedo from Japanese submarine I-26. The ship quickly sunk
and rescue efforts were not forthcoming due to fears about the Japanese naval
presence. Eight days later ten survivors were retrieved from the water. The
survivors reported that Frank, Joe, and Matt died instantly, Al drowned the
next day, and George survived for four or five days.
The
brothers received the Purple Heart Medal posthumously and were entitled to
the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Medal with four engagement stars and the World War II Victory Medal. They had
also earned the Good Conduct Medal.
They were survived by their parents, Mr. Thomas F. Sullivan and Mrs. Alleta
Sullivan, a sister, Genevieve Sullivan, and by Albert Leo Sullivan's wife, Katherine
Mary Sullivan. Their son, James Thomas, was twenty-two months old at the time
of his father's death.
Service
record transcripts:
Albert
Leo Sullivan, Seaman Second Class, V-6, USNR:
Place
of birth: Waterloo, Iowa
Date of birth: July 8, 1922
1- 3-1942 Enlisted in the U.S. Naval
Reserve, Class V-6, as Apprentice Seaman to serve for two years at the Naval
Recruiting Station, Des Moines, Iowa
1- 3-1942 Transferred to the Naval Training
Station. Great Lakes, Illinois.
2- 3-1942 Transferred to the
receiving ship, New York, for duty in USS Juneau detail and on board when
commissioned.
5- 3-1942 Rating changed to Seaman
second class.
11-14-1942 Reported missing in
action.
Francis Henry Sullivan, Coxswain, V-6, USNR:
Place of birth:
Waterloo, Iowa
Date of birth: February 18, 1916
5-11-1937 Enlisted in the U.S. Navy
as Apprentice Seaman, to serve for four (4) years at the Navy Recruiting
Station, Des Moines, Iowa
and transferred to the
Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, for recruit training.
9-11-1937 Rating changed to Seaman
second class.
9-15-1937 Transferred to the USS
Hovey.
3-25-1938 Transferred to the U.S.
Naval Hospital, Navy Yard, Mare Island, California, for treatment
4- 9-1938 Transferred to the USS
Hovey.
2-16-1939 Rating changed to Seaman
first class.
3-18-1939 Transferred to the USS
Melville for temporary duty involving medical treatment.
4-22-1939 Transferred to the USS
Hovey.
5-13-1941 Transferred to the USS
Dunlap for transportation to the West Coast and further transfer to the
Receiving Ship on that coast for discharge.
5-20-1941 Received at the Receiving
Station, San Diego, California.
5-27-1941 Issued an honorable
discharge by reason of expiration of enlistment.
1- 3-1942 Enlisted in the U.S. Naval
Reserve, Class V-6, as Coxswain to serve for two (2) years at the Naval
Recruiting Station, Des Moines, Iowa.
1- 3-1942 Transferred to the Naval
Training Station. Great Lakes, Illinois.
2- 3-1942 Transferred to the receiving
ship, New York, for duty in the USS Juneau detail and on board when
commissioned.
11-14-1942 Reported missing in
action.
George Thomas Sullivan, Gunner's Mate Second Class, V-6, USNR:
Place of birth: Waterloo, Iowa
Date of birth: December 14, 1914
5-11-1937 Enlisted in the U.S. Navy
as Apprentice Seaman, to serve for four (4) years at the Navy Recruiting
Station, Des Moines, Iowa
and transferred to the
Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, for recruit training.
9-11-1937 Rating changed to Seaman
second class.
9-15-1937 Transferred to the USS
Hovey.
10-11-1937 Transferred to the USS
Melville for treatment.
10-15-1937 Transferred to the USS
Hovey for duty.
10-16-1939 Rating changed to Seaman
first class.
2-16-1941 Rating changed to Gunner's
Mate third class.
4-22-1941 Transferred to the USS
Santee for transportation to the West Coast and further transfer to the
Receiving Ship,
San Diego, California,
for discharge.
4-30-1941 Received at the Receiving
Ship, San Diego, California.
5-16-1941 Issued an honorable
discharge by reason of expiration of enlistment.
1- 3-1942 Enlisted in the U.S. Naval
Reserve, Class V-6, as Gunner's Mate second class to serve for two (2) years
at the
Naval Recruiting Station, Des Moines, Iowa.
1- 3-1942 Transferred to the Naval
Training Station. Great Lakes, Illinois.
2- 3-1942 Transferred to the
receiving ship, New York, for duty in the USS Juneau detail and on board when
commissioned.
11-14-1942 Reported missing in
action.
Joseph Eugene Sullivan, Seaman Second Class, V-6, USNR:
Place of birth: Waterloo, Iowa
Date of birth: August 28, 1918
1- 3-1942 Enlisted in the U.S. Naval
Reserve, Class V-6, as Apprentice Seaman to serve for two (2) years at the
Naval Recruiting
Station, Des Moines, Iowa.
1- 3-1942 Transferred to the Naval
Training Station. Great Lakes, Illinois.
2- 3-1942 Transferred to the
receiving ship, New York, for duty in the USS Juneau detail and on board when
commissioned.
5- 3-1942 Rating changed to Seaman
second class.
11-14-1942 Reported missing in
action.
Madison Abel Sullivan, Seaman Second Class, V-6, USNR:
Place of birth: Waterloo, Iowa
Date of birth: November 8, 1919
1- 3-1942 Enlisted in the U.S. Naval
Reserve, Class V-6, as Apprentice Seaman to serve for two (2) years at the
Naval Recruiting
Station, Des Moines, Iowa.
1- 3-1942 Transferred to the Naval
Training Station. Great Lakes, Illinois.
2- 3-1942 Transferred to the
receiving ship, New York, for duty in the USS Juneau detail and on board when
commissioned.
5- 3-1942 Rating changed to Seaman
second class.
11-14-1942 Reported missing in
action
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The second The
Sullivans (DDG-68) was laid down on 14 June 1993 at Bath, Maine, by Bath ron
Works Co.; launched on 12 August 1995; sponsored by Kelly Sullivan Loughren, granddaughter
of Albert Leo Sullivan; and commissioned at Staten Island, N.Y., on 19 April
1997, Commander Gerard D. Roncolato in command.
On 26 April, The Sullivans departed New York for Norfolk where, after
arriving on the 27th, the crew completed underway replenishment
qualifications with Platte (AO-186). The warship then sailed for Mayport on
29 April and arrived in her new homeport on 2 May.
After completing two days of gunnery trials in mid-May, The Sullivans
embarked upon her shakedown deployment to the West Indies on 27 May. That
cruise took her to the waters off Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, where
the destroyer conducted numerous sonar, gunnery, and torpedo exercises. The
warship also twice entered Roosevelt Roads and stopped once at St. Thomas for
port visits. On 29 June, The Sullivans conducted test firings of Standard
SM-2 ER missiles from her vertical launch system (VLS). After a brief stop at
Mayport for the 4 July weekend, the warship joined other Arleigh Burke-class
destroyers, cruisers, destroyers, and frigates off the Virginia Capes for a
multiple-ship missile firing exercise. She returned to Mayport on the 12th
for upkeep.
Following three days of damage control exercises in mid-August, the crew
began preparations for a post shakedown availability. She sailed for Maine on
3 September, arriving at Bath Iron Works on the 5th. The shipyard repainted
the hull, altered the superstructure, and installed equipment upgrades in the
engineering plant and combat systems suite. When the yard work was completed
The Sullivans got underway for Mayport, arriving there on the 23 November.
On 8 December the destroyer joined Enterprise (CVN-65) off Georgia for a week
of underway training. While providing plane guard services on the 11th, a
McDonnell Douglas T-45A trainer ("Goshawk") splashed following
take-off. The Sullivans made a high-speed dash to the site. While the
carrier's rescue helicopter safely rescued the pilot, boats launched by The
Sullivans picked up considerable pieces of wreckage which were helpful in
determining the cause of the crash. The crew also completed helicopter deck
landing qualifications before returning to port for the holidays on the 12th.
In January 1998, the crew of The Sullivans began a series of exercises
designed "to build the capability for long-term self-sustained training
onboard." They included engineering, combat, seamanship, and battle
scenario training exercises. These local operations lasted until 18 May when
the warship got underway for New York and the annual "Fleet Week"
celebrations.
Following a week long port visit, The Sullivans got underway on 26 May for
Halifax, Nava Scotia to conduct training workups for the upcoming Exercise
"Unified Spirit `98." During the exercise she joined an amphibious
task force formed around Nassau (LHA-4), two LPDs, and two LSDs. The warship
screened the "gator" ships during an exercise focusing on
multi-national peace enforcement operations. Ships from Canada, Great
Britain, Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Portugal also
participated in the exercise. After this exercise, the ship visited Boston
and then sailed with relatives and family for Mayport, arriving on 1 July.
After a summer of conducting midshipmen training off the Florida coast,
Commander Roncolato was relieved by Commander E. Scott Hebner, USN, in a
change of command ceremony on 4 September 1998. The Sullivans is assigned to
Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Four, a component of the USS John F. Kennedy Battle
Group. In 1999, the ship participated in various training exercises to
prepare for her maiden deployment in October to the Mediterranean and then in
2000 continued into the Arabian Sea and participated in exercises and
boarding operations until late March. On 9 February, 2000, Commander Daniel
Paul Keller, USN relieved Commander Heber in a change of command ceremony,
held at sea on station in the Arabian Gulf. After port visits in the Persian
Gulf, she returned through the Mediterranean to her homeport in April 2000,
successfully completing her first six month deployment. After participating
in BEACHFEST at Port Canaveral, FL, The Sullivans underwent a major
maintenance overhaul to prepare for future operations.
-- more DDG-68
history wanted --
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