The FReeper Foxhole Revisits The USS Juneau and the Sullivan Brothers - June 19th, 2004

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq72-2.htm ^

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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The FReeper Foxhole Revisits

The Loss of USS Juneau

In early November 1942, 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 11 and 12 November, they had only partially unloaded their cargoes when Magic (intercepted Japanese messages) 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, under command of Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan took up station in the strait between Guadalcanal and Florida Island, called "Ironbottom Sound" owing to the many sunken ships littering the sea floor from the naval battles.

After midnight on 13 November, a Japanese formation of two battleships, a light cruiser, and eleven destroyers steamed past Savo Island, heading toward Guadalcanal. At 0124, these warships appeared on American radar and the two forces closed rapidly. Poor radar coordination, however, left the American warships vainly 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 0145 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 replied in kind and the two formations quickly mingled together, firing into each other at point-blank range in the glare-lit darkness.

Within minutes, the Japanese destroyer Akatsuki and the American cruiser USS Atlanta lay dead in the water, victims of shell and torpedo hits. Meanwhile, the two Japanese battleships, worried that American torpedo-armed destroyers were too close for comfort, tried to turn away. Still, the four American destroyers in lead fired guns and torpedoes at Hiei, the nearest Japanese battleship, damaging her superstructure with numerous shell hits. Two of the American destroyers USS Cushing and USS Laffey were mortally wounded after a brief fire fight, with Laffey exploding and sinking shortly thereafter.

The engagement turned against the American task force when three Japanese destroyers conducted a torpedo attack from the northern flank. Torpedo hits damaged cruiser USS Portland and sank destroyer USS Barton. Gunfire from these and other Japanese warships turned USS Monssen into a smoking wreck and damaged both cruiser USS San Francisco and destroyer USS Aaron Ward. In return, by the time the fifteen-minute battle ended, destroyer Yudachi was a burning hulk and battleship Hiei was left crippled, steering an erratic course to the northwest. By the following afternoon, owing to scuttling charges or damage, Atlanta, Cushing, and Monssen had all sunk. Two Japanese ships soon joined them when Yudachi exploded under shell fire from Portland, and Hiei went under following bomb and torpedo hits delivered by Navy and Marine aircraft.



The light cruiser Juneau (CL-52), in which the five Sullivan brothers were surviving, suffered a different fate. 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 on 13 November 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 Japanese submarine I-26. At 1101, the submarine fired a three torpedoes at San Francisco. 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. A message from USS Helena 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.

Owing to the 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. However, approximately 115 of Juneau's crew survived the explosion. But, as Helena's message unfortunately did not reach Noumea 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.

The Sullivan Brothers

In the aftermath of Juneau's loss, the Navy notified Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, that all five of their sons were missing in action. Two of the brothers had served previous four-year enlistments in the Navy and so, when all five brothers enlisted together on 3 January 1942, the Navy was the obvious choice. They had also insisted on serving together on the same ship. Although the accepted Navy policy was to separate family members, the brothers had persisted and their request was approved.

It was later learned, through survivors' accounts, that four of the brothers died in the initial explosion. The fifth, George Thomas, despite being wounded the night before, made it onto a raft where he survived for five days before succumbing either to wounds and exhaustion or a shark attack.



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.

Albert Leo Sullivan
Francis Henry Sullivan
George Thomas Sullivan
Joseph Eugene Sullivan
Madison Abel Sullivan

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Matt.

[SAMWolf]

I wish our governments would unleash our Special Forces and the GROM units to slit a few throats. Find out where the terrorists are and let the experts do their jobs.

[Professional Engineer]

My name is Blutarsky, John Blutarsky. What's it to you?

[SAMWolf]

That's Senator John Blutarsky! :-)

[SAMWolf]

By the way, would you believe? "Our" President and the P.M. didn't send a delegation to the funeral of colonel Kuklinski just for POLITICAL reasons!

Once a Commie, always a Commie. That's why I don't trust Putin.

[Valin]

Now just hold on there a second! (Tubby) Teddy Kennedy has told us over and over that we're in Iraq alone and what we need to do is get some allies in there with us.
So now I'm suppoed to believe these pictures instead of the "conscience" of the senate?

[The Mayor]

"Herr My Or". :-)

ok comrade!

[SAMWolf]

LOL! That's Kameraden ;-)

[SAMWolf]

Come on, these Commies wouldn't mislead us would they?

[alfa6]

Good Evening SNIPPY. RE:#32 As I recall on the USS Samuel B. Roberts the DE that was sunk in the Samar part of the Leyte Gulf battle one of the crewmembers was a direct relation to Samuel B. Roberts. I think he was a grand son but I would have to look it up. Initially the only members of the crew who knew of the relationship were the CO and the XO. I will try to remember top take the book to work tomorrow and look it up.

Just made it home finally, the weather guessers were wrong, at least it did not rain but it sure looked like it was going to for most of the morning.

Well gotta go hit the sack, another 12 hours of fun and frivolity await me tomorrow.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[alfa6]

Just a quick thank you for the Polish Perspective. I look forward to your posts.

Best Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Valin]

SHUDDER

[The Mayor]

OK, what ever you say..

commandant!

[Professional Engineer]

That's Senator John Blutarsky! :-)

Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, Mr. Kennedy.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks alfa6. Let us know what you find out. Glad the weather turned out for the yard sale.

[snippy_about_it]

Hey, cool karate flag-o-gram Sam!

[snippy_about_it]

My name is Blutarsky, John Blutarsky. What's it to you?

LOL. Good one PE.

Hey Matt, how do you say "Go ahead, make my day" in Polish, like Clint Eastwood would say?

[SAMWolf]

So you had a day to dry out your wet items. :-)

Let us know what you find out about the USS SAmuel B. Roberts.