Who is the USS The Sullivans named after?

USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) is named to honor five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa who served together on the USS Juneau during World War II. The Sullivan brothers: George, 28; Francis, 27; Joseph, 24; Madison, 23; and Albert, 20; lost their lives during the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942.

How did the USS Sullivan get its name?

The ship was named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers (George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert) aged 20 to 27 who lost their lives when their ship, USS Juneau, was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942.

What is USS The Sullivans?

The Buffalo Naval Park's decommissioned Fletcher-class Destroyer, DD-537, was the largest and most important class of U.S. Destroyers used in World War II. USS The Sullivans, named after the five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, was the only ship in the Navy to be named after more than one person.

Is the USS Sullivan a destroyer?

Salvors have successfully rescued the museum ship USS The Sullivans, which partially sank at her berth in Buffalo, New York last month.

Are there two USS The Sullivans?

She is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the five Sullivan brothers – George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert Sullivan, aged 20 to 27 – who lost their lives when their ship, USS Juneau, was sunk by a Japanese submarine in November 1942 in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

Naval Legends: USS The Sullivans | World of Warships

What happened to the parents of the five Sullivans?

Sullivan, mother of the five Sullivan brothers who were killed when their warship sank during World War II, died here today following a stroke. She was 77 years old.

What happened to the Sullivan brothers?

The five Sullivan brothers were World War II sailor brothers of Irish American descent who, serving together on the light cruiser USS Juneau, were all killed in action in and shortly after its sinking around November 13, 1942.

Who were the five Sullivan brothers?

On Nov. 13, 1942, Waterloo's five Sullivan brothers -- George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert -- died aboard the USS Juneau when the ship was torpedoed and sunk off Guadalcanal during World War II. It remains the greatest combat-related loss of life by a single family at one time in American military history.

What happened to the SS Sullivan?

Crews are now working to repair the hull of a WWII destroyer named after the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, after the ship began taking on water in New York earlier this month. The decommissioned USS The Sullivans is moored at the Buffalo and Erie County Military & Naval Park.

Where are the five Sullivan brothers buried?

(WATERLOO, Iowa) An Iowa museum, dedicated to the famed five Sullivan Brothers, is reacting to news the brothers' final resting place has been found in the south Pacific. Crews recently found the wreckage of the USS Juneau more than two miles beneath the surface, near the Solomon Islands.

What happened to the Sullivans ship?

The USS The Sullivans was commissioned in 1943 and operated in the Pacific Theater during World War II. It is named after five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. It was decommissioned in 1965 and has been in Buffalo since 1977. In 2018, 7 News reported the USS The Sullivans was sinking due to a crack in her hull.

Is the USS Sullivan sinking?

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Less than one month after it began sinking into Lake Erie, a historic ship is preparing to reopen to host visitors. Officials with the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park told WGRZ that they are planning on reopening Memorial Day weekend, allowing people to walk the deck of USS The Sullivans.

What was ironic about the day on which the Sullivan brothers were killed?

What was ironic about the day on which the Sullivan brothers were killed? It was Friday the 13th. Friday, November 13, 1942 - George died two days later, however, from the sharks after searching for his brothers aboard a piece of their ship. None of them were ever found.

Did the Sullivan brothers have kids?

Kelly has two college- and high school-age children – Kelcie and Luke Loughren – and John has two daughters in their early teens, Madeline and Josephine, each named for their great-great uncles, Madison and Joseph, who went down with the USS Juneau.

Was the Fighting Sullivans a true story?

The spotlight on the Sullivan family's sacrifice eventually led Hollywood to produce a film called “The Fighting Sullivans.” It was a real pot-boiler, which fictionalized the boys' life growing up on the streets of Waterloo.

What was unusual about the Sullivan brothers deaths?

The Fate of the Sullivan Brothers

In a bizarre sequence of events, the Navy did nothing for eight days to help the Juneau's stricken survivors. During these eight days, all but 10 of the men died from their wounds, exposure, drowning, and shark attacks.

What happened to Genevieve Sullivan?

Throwing caution to the wind, their one surviving sister, Genevieve, joined the WAVES the same month they died and she went on to live a full life, her enlistment becoming a news story in itself due to her bravery. Their other sister had died in 1931.

How many Sullivan brothers died in ww2?

Remembering Iowa's five Sullivan brothers, who died together in 1942 aboard the USS Juneau. It was on Nov. 13, 1942, that a Japanese submarine torpedoed the USS Juneau during World War II's Battle of Guadalcanal. Most of the sailors aboard were killed, including the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa.

How many of the Sullivan brothers died?

The five Irish American Sullivan brothers, all killed aboard the USS Juneau during WWII, became the first multiple-person namesake of a ship in US Naval history. The five Sullivan brothers died on the same day, November 13, 1942, while serving together in the US Navy during World War II.

Where did the Sullivan brothers come from?

Albert, Francis, George, Joseph and Madison Sullivan were born in Waterloo, Iowa, between 1914 and 1920. George and Francis enlisted in the Navy in 1937. Their three younger brothers joined the service in early 1942.

Can brothers served in the same military unit?

Brothers serve together in special forces unit, carry on generations of service. FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Family members serving simultaneously in the military is rare, but even more uncommon is two siblings serving together in the same active-duty unit. In 3rd Special Forces Group, this rarity has become a reality.

Why did the Sullivan sink?

The USS The Sullivans has been battling damage and disrepair for years. In 2018, a breach in the hull caused the ship to begin sinking before the government supplied funds to renovate and secure the ship into the future.

Can the Sullivans be saved?

You can purchase Official Save the Sullivans merchandise from the Buffalo Naval Park gift shop at the Park or online. All purchases support the Buffalo Naval Park and efforts to Save the Sullivans.

How deep is the water under the Sullivans?

Under normal circumstances, there is about five feet of water beneath the hull. Because of that, the ship cannot completely sink or disappear beneath the water.