They Gave Their All : The Sullivan Brothers and Tragic Sinking of the USS Juneau
Juneau was the second of eleven Atlanta-class light anti-aircraft cruisers . Atlantas were built to perform fleet screening duties that the older and slower Omaha-class scout cruisers ( 1920s ) were no longer able to perform . The ships of the class measured 542 feet in overall length , had a 53-foot beam , and drew 21 feet of water with a fully loaded displacement of 8,340 tons . 8 As designed , the Juneau rated a crew of 638 seamen and petty officers and thirty-five officers ; however , the ship ’ s compliment swelled to over seven hundred with the addition of more sophisticated electronics and weapons systems . 9
Juneau ’ s would be a familiar crew . Early in the war , many siblings served together despite the Navy ’ s wartime prohibition . Brothers who enlisted together served together to satisfy the demand for sailors to crew ships rushed into service . The five Sullivans were joined by the Rodgers siblings of Monroe , Connecticut ; however , Joseph , James , Louis , and Patrick heeded the Navy ’ s warnings and separated before sailing . 10 Eight other pairs of brothers boarded Juneau with the Sullivans ; Louis and Patrick Rodgers , Williams and Harold Weeks , Russell and Charles Combs , Albert and Michael Krall , George and John Wallace , Curtis and Donald Damon , Richard and Russell White , and Harold and Charles Caulk . 11
Unlike the Sullivans , the Rodgers ( left to right ) Joseph ( 24 ), Patrick ( 22 ), Louis ( 20 ), and James ( 18 ), split up before the Juneau left the United States . Source : Naval History and Heritage Command , Catalog No . NH 52363 .
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