The Saber and Scroll
The Sullivans of Waterloo Iowa ( left to right ) Joseph ( 24 ), Francis ( 26 ) Albert ( 20 ), Madison ( 23 ), and George ( 28 ). Source : Naval History and Heritage Command , Catalog No . NH 52362 .
After a brief shakedown period along the Atlantic seaboard , Juneau participated in the blockade of Vichy French naval units in Martinique and Guadalupe . 18 Juneau then made a port call to Annapolis , Maryland in April , and Captain Swenson visited his son Robert , a midshipman at the Naval Academy for the last time . While the Navy publicly delighted in the Sullivans , the elder Swenson , while proud of the brothers ’ service aboard his ship , was not happy about it . Robert wrote later , “ He [ Captain Swenson ] felt the risk of a family tragedy outweighed the advantages for public relations .” 19
From mid-May to mid-July 1942 , Juneau escorted convoys from Brazil to Key West , Florida , before receiving orders to transit the Panama Canal to the Pacific . On September 11 , Juneau joined Task Force 61 , escorting carriers USS Wasp and USS Hornet already in the theater .
Submarine IJN I-19 torpedoed Wasp on September 15 , 250 miles northwest of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides , the submarine-infested waters christened “ Torpedo Junction .” 20 George Sullivan , whose battle station was the depth charge racks on Juneau ’ s fantail , had a front-row seat for the action as his ship searched for the offending submarine . The escort dropped depth charges to no effect . Juneau continued to screen TF 61 until the Bat-
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