| Original caption: “Five sullivan boys on the same ship – The five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa, who enlisted in the Navy together were all in the crew of the newly commissioned light cruiser USS Juneau at Brooklyn Navy Yard. Left to right: Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison, and George Sullivan.” The Sullivan Brothers aboard USS Juneau (CL-52), during her commissioning ceremonies at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. All were killed in action aboard the ship the following November. Left to Right: United States Navy Seaman 2nd Class Joseph E. “Joe” Sullivan (August 28, 1918 – November 13, 1942), Coxswain Francis H. “Frank” Sullivan (February 18, 1916 – November 13, 1942), Seaman 2nd Class Albert L. “Al” Sullivan (July 8, 1922 – November 13, 1942), Seaman 2nd Class Madison A. “Matt” Sullivan (November 8, 1919 – November 13, 1942), and Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class George T. Sullivan (December 14, 1914 – November 13, 1942). They are pictured with a quick-acting watertight door. Often, when the photo was reproduced, the inverted “V” – which is probably a worn “A” – was inverted as a “V for Victory.” Frank and George had left the Navy in May 1941. Enraged by the attack on Pearl Harbor, especially the sinking of USS Arizona (BB-39). Their close friend, William V. “Bill” Ball (July 15, 1920 – December 7, 1941) was aboard down below, and was killed in the explosion. Even Albert, who was married and had a child, wanted to enlist, despite an exemption. And all the brothers wanted to serve together. The brothers were the children of Thomas F. Sullivan (January 24, 1883 – March 1, 1965) and Alleta M. Abel Sullivan (January 28, 1895 – April 22, 1972) of Waterloo, Iowa. Since their eldest boys, George and Frank, served in the Navy from 1937 to 1941, they expected them to shepherd the younger Sullivans through the war. After a letter-writing campaign and visits with the Navy to serve together, their request was granted. The 5 brothers enlisted on January 3, 1942, and were “plank owners” — commissioning sailors — on USS Juneau (CL-52), an anti-aircraft light cruiser. In hindsight, historians have questioned the deployment of Atlanta-class light cruisers in surface actions. Armed with 21-inch (127-millimeter) 38 caliber dual-purpose guns, 16 1.1-inch (28 millimeter) “Chicago piano” anti-aircraft guns, 28 millimeter (.79 caliber) Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, and 29 inch torpedo tubes, it was formidable against Japanese aircraft, but with only a maximum of 6-quarter inches (95 millimeters) of armor at its belt and 1 and quarter inches (32 millimeters) at the turrets, USS Juneau could not stand up to engaging Japanese surface warships. During the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942, USS Juneau was struck amidships by a “Long Lance” torpedo from Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Amatsukaze, which broke her keel and caused her to list and reduced speed to 13 knots (15 miles per hour; 24 kilometers per hour). While steaming away, Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-26 hit Juneau with 2 torpedoes while aiming for USS San Francisco. Juneau blew up. Rear Admiral Gilbert C. Hoover (July 25, 1894 – January 8, 1980), believing everyone was dead, left the area. But at least a 100 Juneau men survived; Hoover, maintaining radio silence, signaled a passing United States Army Air Force Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to signal to look for survivors. Only USS Fletcher (DD-445) had operable sonar; most of Hoover’s ships were damaged from the battle the night before. If the B-17 sent a signal, the Headquarters of United States Navy Vice Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959), Commanding Officer, Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), never received it. Hoover reported in a few days, and 8 days after the sinking, a Consolidated PBY Catalina located 10 survivors. The survivors reported that Frank, Joe and Matt were all killed instantly, Al drowned the next day, and George survived for 4 or 5 days, before suffering from delirium as a result of hypernatremia (high sodium), though some sources describe him being “driven insane with grief” at the loss of his brothers. He climbed over the side of the raft he had occupied and fell into the water. He was never seen or heard from again. The Sullivans’ sister was United States Navy Specialist Recruiter 2nd Class Genevieve M. Sullivan Davidson (February 19, 1917 – February 11, 1975), who enlisted in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) on April 6, 1943, after the brothers were killed. Her enlistment was national news. She died of cancer. The sacrifice of the Sullivan family was held up as a patriotic ideal. The parents and Genevieve read President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945) condolence letter for the newsreel cameras. Alleta Sullivan did what she believed was her patriotic duty. In February 1943 — barely more than 2 months after the Juneau sank — she kept her commitment to travel to Portland, Oregon, to christen the USS Tawasa. She did not stop there. Accompanied by her husband, Alleta refused to let her grief slow her down, appearing at more than 200 manufacturing plants and shipyards to boost morale and support the military. The Sullivans traveled across the country and spoke to more than a 1,000,000 workers; their words were so impactful that factory production reportedly increased after 1 of their visits. Those interactions benefited Alleta as well, allowing her not to dwell on her grief because she was constantly on the move. In April 1943, a Fletcher-class destroyer was named USS The Sullivans (DD-537) in their honor – the 1st United States Navy vessel named for more than 1 person. In 1944, a Hollywood version of their story was told in the motion picture “The Fighting Sullivans.” As a direct result of the death of the 5 siblings in 1 action, the United States Military adopted the “Sole Survivor” policy in 1948. Each brother has a memorial cenotaph in Arlington National Cemetery, and their names are inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila City, Philippines. Ex-USS The Sullivans is a museum ship in Buffalo, New York. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1557.jpg |
| Image Size | 749.75 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2916 x 2303 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Office of War Information |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 14, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Brooklyn |
| State or Province | New York |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-208-PU-195GG(1) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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