WWII Shipwreck Where 5 Brothers Died 76 Years Ago Finally Found

On St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), the discovery of a long-lost WWII shipwreck offered a bittersweet ending to the tale of five Irish-American brothers who served on the vessel and died together when it sank.

Crew members aboard the research vessel R/V Petrel found the remains of the USS Juneau during an expedition mounted by Vulcan Inc., an ocean exploration and conservation company created by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Their discovery, described in a statement by Vulcan Inc. representatives, marks the watery grave of the Sullivan brothers — George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert.

The Sullivans refused to serve in the U.S. Navy unless they could serve together, and they were granted permission to do so despite a Navy policy that prohibited assignment of family members to the same ship, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) website. Stationed on the USS Juneau, the brothers lost their lives — along with 682 of their shipmates — on Nov. 13, 1942, when a Japanese torpedo destroyed the ship during the Battle of Guadalcanal (code-named Operation Watchtower by U.S. forces). Read more.