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The Daily Insight

What happened to the USS Juneau?

Author

Michael King

Updated on March 07, 2026

The disaster of the Juneau was covered up by the Navy. Her sinking was announced after the victory at Guadalcanal had been secured, but the plight of her survivors wasn't told until well after the war. The five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, their actual fates undisclosed, were turned into national heroes.

Where is the USS Juneau now?

The wreck of Juneau was located on 17 March 2018 by Paul Allen's research crew on board RV Petrel. The cruiser rests 4,200 m (13,800 ft) below the surface off the Solomon Islands in several large pieces.

How did the USS Juneau sunk?

On November 13, 1942, the light cruiser was torpedoed and badly damaged. Later that morning, while south of San Cristobal Island, Juneau was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26, subsequently exploded and quickly sank.

Did anyone survive the USS Juneau?

A total of 687 men from the USS Juneau lost their lives, including the five Sullivan brothers. Only 10 men survived the sinking. Lt. Charles Wang was the only officer to survive.

When did the USS Juneau sunk?

The Juneau was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in November 1942, claiming the lives of 687 men, including five brothers known as the Sullivans from Waterloo, Iowa. The men became navy heroes and had a destroyer named after them.

WWII Shipwreck USS Juneau Found—Famous for Five Sullivan Brothers | National Geographic

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.

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.

Did all 5 Sullivan brothers died?

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.

What is the story about the five Sullivan brothers killed?

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.

How were the Sullivan brothers killed?

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.

Was the USS Indianapolis found?

August 19, 2017 - The wreck was located at a depth of 18,000 feet by the "USS Indianapolis Project" aboard the RV Petrel, a research vessel funded by American business magnate Paul Allen.

Where is the USS Juneau LPD 10?

Juneau was decommissioned in 2008, and is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, and is currently berthed in Oahu, Hawaii waiting for disposal.

Where is the USS San Diego?

The San Diego was decommisioned in November 1946 and placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Bremerton, Washington. It was redesignated CLAA-53 in 1949, was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 10 years later, and was scrapped in Seattle in 1960. The U.S.S.

Where is the Sullivan brothers ship located?

Efforts are underway to try to save the retired Navy vessel named for the five Waterloo brothers who died together in World War II when a Japanese torpedo struck the USS Juneau. “The Sullivans” — a Navy destroyer — is a floating museum in the harbor at Buffalo, New York.

Who was the captain of the USS Juneau?

Juneau disappeared from view and sank in less than 20 seconds. Captain Gilbert Hoover aboard Helena witnessed the massive explosion and assumed that there was simply no way that anyone could have survived.

Did the USS Sullivans sink?

The USS The Sullivans — a floating museum in Buffalo, New York's harbor — began sinking in April. The ship was listing at 22 degrees. “The effort to save The Sullivans and the ship is righted and floating,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says.

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.

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.

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.

Was Saving Private Ryan based on the Sullivan brothers?

The Niland brothers were four American brothers from Kenmore, New York. Their story inspired Stephen Spielberg's film Saving Private Ryan. Soldiers during the Second World War, they were separated into four different units following the Sullivan brothers affair.

What family lost the most sons in war?

The Borgstrom brothers were four American siblings, including twin brothers, killed over a six-month period during World War II. They were the sons of Alben and Gunda Borgstrom of Thatcher, Utah. The brothers were: LeRoy Elmer Borgstrom, 30 (born April 30, 1914, died June 22, 1944, in Italy), U.S. Army.

Can siblings serve on the same ship?

Ql: What is the Navy's policy on brothers serving in the same ship? A2: Brothers or members of the same family may serve in the same ship following approval of their request to do so by the Commander Naval Military Personnel Command so long as the ship is not in a hostile fire area.

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.

What is the Sullivan rule?

Sullivan, legal case in which, on March 9, 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously (9–0) that, for a libel suit to be successful, the complainant must prove that the offending statement was made with “ 'actual malice'—that is, with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or ...

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.