On January 3, 1942, five Iowan brothers enlisted in the United States Navy: George, Frank, Joe, Matt and Al Sullivan. With seven years separating their age, the brothers stipulated to the Navy that they be allowed to serve together, despite the Navy’s policy of separating family members that enlisted. The five brothers were assigned to the USS Juneau, a light cruiser that saw battle during World War II.

In November 1942, the Juneau was in the midst of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (as part of Pacific Theater), when she was hit by a Japanese torpedo, forcing her to retreat and seek help with other damaged US warships. A few hours later, a Japanese submarine struck the ship’s ammunition magazines, causing the ship to explode and quickly sink. According to the ten survivors, Frank, Joe, and Matt Sullivan all died instantly when the ship exploded. Al drowned after a day, while George sat on a raft with others for five days before going over the side of the raft after suffering from delirium.

In an attempt to hide information from the enemy, the Juneau’s fate, nor that of its crew, was not revealed to the public or the other ships. Because of this, Alleta Sullivan, the boys’ mother, wrote to the Bureau of Navy Personnel in early January 1943, concerned that her sons’ regular letters had stopped arriving home. On January 12, her husband, Thomas, opened the door to three uniformed men informing him that they had bad news about all five of his sons. The next morning Alleta and Thomas received a letter from President Franklin Roosevelt, confirming their darkest suspicions.

The Sullivan brothers’ sacrifice was made known throughout the entire country. Pope Pius XII sent a medal and rosary to the family, while the Iowa House and Senate drafted formal resolutions of tribute for the loss of the five boys – the largest loss for any American family in World War II.

At that time, the Navy had recently laid down the Putnam, a Fletcher-class destroyer, in preparation for battle for the remainder of the war. But after the Sullivans’ story became known throughout the USA, President Roosevelt renamed the ship “USS The Sullivans”, in memory of all five brothers. She was commissioned on September 30, 1943, and immediately went into battle with the motto, “We Stick Together.” The DD-537 was one of the most successful ships in its class during the war, travelling across the Pacific multiple times and providing cover for the USS Iowa battleship.

The Sullivans also saw service in the Korean War, before being turned into a training ship for many years. She received nine battle stars for her service in World War II and two for her service in Korea. She was decommissioned in 1965 and remained in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for over a decade before being processed for donation to Buffalo’s Naval and Military Park, where she now sits as a memorial and National Historic Landmark.

A second ship of the same name was commissioned in April 1997 as an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The ship is still in service today and has been used in training and military exercises across the world. In fact, The Sullivans was the original target for an al-Qaeda attack in 2000 (before the attack on the USS Cole) while in port in Yemen, but the boat sent to carry out the attack sunk before it arrived at the side of the ship.

The Sullivan brothers are the only family in American history to have two Navy ships named for them. Their namesake on a current Naval warship is a reminder of the sacrifice that the young boys made in World War II for their country, and a way to honor five brothers who stuck together through one of the darkest times in their country’s history.

To see model kits of the USS The Sullivans, click here.