Wreckage of ship on which 5 Iowa brothers died during WWII is found

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald-AP

Philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has announced that wreckage of a sunken military ship on which five brothers died in World War II has been discovered in the South Pacific.

A spokeswoman for Allen confirmed that wreckage from the USS Juneau was found Saturday off the coast of the Solomon Islands.

The ship was hit by Japanese torpedoes in 1942, killing hundreds of men, including the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa.

FULL short story AND video at link below photo.


The five Sullivan brothers, from left to right, Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison and George, are shown in this Jan. 12, 1942 photo. The sons of Thomas and Alleta Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, died after their ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine on Nov. 13, 1942. The brothers had enlisted in the Navy on the condition they be allowed to serve together.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/iowa/wreckage-of-ship-on-which-iowa-brothers-died-during-wwii/article_a923a62e-ce6f-53be-acfe-c638dd63eb1c.html

[hlthe2b]

1. wow... I wonder if there is any family left to commemorate?

[Aristus]

6. Yes, they had a sister who reacted to the news that all five of her brothers had died

by going out and enlisting in the WAVES (Women Accepting Volunteer Emergency Service).

That's some real patriotism.

What an incredible familial sacrifice for country.

[hlthe2b]

33. wow... indeed

Pride is in short supply right now. This story both saddens and heartens me.

[LeftInTX]

8. Yes.

At least one of the brothers had a child. His granddaughter is featured here:

http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/destroyers/pages/uss_the_sullivans_ddg_68_page_1.htm

(I was surprised to see their birthdates: From 1914-1922.)

[Gore1FL]

2. I remember watching the movie about this with my mother

Though it looks a bit pricey on Amazon for the DVD.

https://smile.amazon.com/Fighting-Sullivans-Anne-Baxter/dp/B007IU8Z5W/ref=sr_1_1_twi_dvd_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1521582594&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fighting+sullivans+dvd

[catbyte]

3. I remember the WWII era movie, "The Fighting Sullivans." R.I.P., boys.

My dad was a Marine Raider, 1st Marine Div. & was in the South Pacific at the same time. This is the tragedy that inspired "Saving Private Ryan."

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fighting_sullivans/

[BigmanPigman]

20. I saw that film and had to Google it afterwards.

They named a ship after them and I think that Saving Private Ryan was based on this movie and story. Some of the brothers died instantly and some were able to get to their siblings first.

[Aristus]

24. The Sullivans were mentioned in SPR,

but the film was loosely based on the story of the Niland Brothers.

[BigmanPigman]

26. Oh, I just googled them.

Two of the brothers survived...that was different from the film's ending. Thanks for the info!

[bullwinkle428]

29. That ship still exists today as a floating museum at the Buffalo (NY) Naval

and Military Park. I've visited it a number of times over the years...cool stuff!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_and_Erie_County_Naval_%26_Military_Park

[BigmanPigman]

30. This is a stupid question but how does a ship get to a new location?

Which river/canal is big enough to transport a ship that size?

"The Sullivans received nine battle stars for World War II service and two for Korean service. On 7 January 1965, The Sullivans was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and she remained in reserve into the 1970s. In 1977, she and cruiser USS Little Rock (CG-4) were processed for donation to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York. The ship now serves as a memorial and is open for public tours."

[Spider Jerusalem]

32. The Saint Lawrence Seaway has 78-foot locks

the original ship was a Fletcher-class destroyer; as naval ships go, it's not large, and probably smaller overall than some Great Lakes freighters (376 feet in length, 39-foot beam at the widest point, 17 feet nine inches draft).

[DinahMoeHum]

4. This was why the military does not allow direct blood relatives. . .

. . .to serve in the same unit or the same vessel.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Yup.

My dad was in WW2 and my Mom used to tell me about how they changed the rules because of this very thing.

[aggiesal]

5. Military changed it's policy because of the Sullivan Brothers ...

They had to tell the parents that all 5 had died.

So the military will no longer place brothers together and when there
is only 1 member of the family left, they're pulled out of combat and
exited from the military, so that there name can live on.

[bettyellen]

10. If they had a brotherserving, and if that brother died. Not only sons.

[FailureToCommunicate]

9. ...RIP to all the brave sailors on USS Juneau

[mobeau69]

11. Thanks for posting. nt

[Blue_Tires]

12. How do they know it's the Juneau with so many wrecks in that region?

And can Paul Allen get to work on finding MH370 since he seems to have a knack for this sort of thing??

[LanternWaste]

13. Most likely, the searchers can identify ship type and class by design, architecture and silhouette

Most likely, the searchers can identify ship type and class by design, structure, architecture and silhouette even if the hull number has been weathered too badly to read.

Even within the same class, the variations of a ship can be dramatically different.

For example, in WW2, the the navy commissioned almost 200 Fletcher-class destroyers, yet a researcher worth their salt could easily pin-point when (and even where) the hull for a particular ship was laid down; and from that and its various armaments, armor, subtle differences to superstructure, etc. give you the name of the ship itself.

[Brother Buzz]

15. Only two Atlanta class light cruisers were lost during WWII

The other one, the Atlanta, was discovered in 1992 by Robert Ballard in 400 feet of water. Interesting, both cruisers went down the same day!

[bpj62]

14. Name on the Stern of the ship

The ship lies in three pieces spread across a mile of seafloor. Only 10 sailors survived the sinking of the Juneau. Over 600 were lost when the ship sank. We lost many battle cruisers during the Battle for Guadalcanal. As other posters have stated the loss of the Sullivan Brothers prompted the military to make changes to how family members served in combat. Paul Allen is doing some great work finding these lost ships.

[DoctorJoJo]

16. Yes Sir: Contrast That With How ....

... wealthy turds like the Mercers and Cock Brothers spend theirs to destroy our democracy!

[catbyte]

27. My dad was on the USS Hornet & was one of the Marines in the first wave. I never knew anything

as a kid about his WWII service except that it was stinking hot and there were a lot of hellish typhoons. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2000, so I got a FMLA from work (work 2 days/5 days with dad who was in a nursing home 200 miles away.) He and his buddies would sit in the sunroom and bs about the war. I couldn't believe the stories I heard. After he died, we moved mom down to where my husband and I lived. As I was packing up, I found a cigar box full of medals, campaign ribbons, and pictures. One picture struck me like a thunderbolt. After dad was evacuated in November 1942 from Guadalcanal, he was sent to Hawaii for some R & R. I almost didn't recognize him. He was always a stocky guy, but he looked like he'd lost 75-100 pounds--he was nothing but skin and bones. He also contracted a nasty case of Malaria that plagued him for 20 years. I remember he always kept a bottle of quinine water in the cupboard "just in case." One day as I was leaving the nursing home for the day, one of his friends came up to me, looked me in the eyes and said, "Your dad was a real hero." Heck, he was always this little girl's hero, even without hearing of his WWII experiences. I miss him every day.

[Raine]

17. So sad

[mahatmakanejeeves]

18. I remember the commemorative postage stamp.

So soon after finding the Lexington too. Paul Allen is on a roll.

[Maxheader]

19. I wish they would just back off

and leave it alone..A memorial for those brave sailors..doesn't need to be disturbed.

[bpj62]

22. War Graves

The ship will not be disturbed as it is a war grave. It a also lies over 2 miles down. Lastly any living relatives of the men lost on the Juneau will be notified of the coordinates of the ship. It is important that they now know the final resting place of thier loved ones.

[Brother Buzz]

23. The ship is totally protected by The Sunken Military Craft Act (SMCA)

And you can bet your sweet bippy Allen's outfit is making no lasting impact on the site beyond documenting it.


The Sunken Military Craft Act (SMCA) was enacted on October 28, 2004. Its primary purpose is to preserve and protect from unauthorized disturbance all sunken military craft that are owned by the United States government, as well as foreign sunken military craft that lie within U.S. waters. Pursuant to the SMCA, the Navy's sunken military craft remain property of the U.S. regardless of their location or the passage of time and may not be disturbed without the permission from the U.S. Navy

NHHC's Underwater Archaeology Branch manages the Navy's collection of over 17,000 ship and aircraft wrecks located around the world. These craft, and their associated contents, represent a collection of non-renewable and significant historical resources that often serve as war graves, carry unexploded ordnance, and contain oil or other hazardous materials. Accordingly, it is the overall policy of the Department of the Navy that its sunken and terrestrial military craft remain in place and undisturbed.

As authorized by the SMCA, the Department of the Navy established a permitting program to allow for controlled site disturbance of sunken and terrestrial military craft for archaeological, historical, or educational purposes. Learn more about NHHC's permitting process by visiting the Permitting Program page and the Frequently Asked Questions page.

The SMCA does not affect commercial fishing, laying of submarine cables, non-intrusive recreational diving, salvage of vessels that do not qualify as sunken military craft, and the routine operation of ships.

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/underwater-archaeology/policy-and-resource-management/sunken-military-craft-act.html

[raven mad]

21. This is wonderful news.

Thank you, Paul Allen, and thank you, Sullivan brothers. I'm saving this and not just because it was the USS Juneau!

[Nac Mac Feegle]

25. Related:

[Nailzberg]

34. My first introduction to the Sullivans was when this song came out.

[El Supremo]

28. George survived for 4 to 5 days.

He went over the side of his raft in delirium over the loss of his 4 brothers.

The loss of survivors was tragic. Only 10 out of 100 were picked up.

[zipplewrath]

31. Turn Plowshares into Swords

These are the stories that tend to teach us to not "let" siblings serve together. Nice thought, but I tend to think this is evidence that war is a really dumb thing to do. I get that WWII was a "good" war*. But it was the rare exception.

* It was a war we fought because the "peace" of the previous stupid war was done about a badly as it could be. WWII was the conclusion of WWI which was another "stupid" war.