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World War II Shipwreck Discovered Near the Solomon Islands

Thursday, March 22, 2018

USS Juneau SullivansSEATTLE, WASHINGTON—Live Science reports that the wreckage of USS Juneau, a light cruiser lost on November 3, 1942, during the Battle of Guadalcanal, has been found under more than 13,000 feet of water in the South Pacific by Vulcan, Inc., an exploration and conservation company led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Allen and his team detected the wreckage with side-scan sonar, and identified it with video taken by a remotely operated underwater vehicle. More than 680 American sailors, including five brothers, were killed when the ship was cut in half by Japanese torpedoes and sank. Although the Navy usually prohibits family members from being assigned to the same ship, Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison, and George Sullivan had received special permission to serve together. Naval historians say the brothers’ deaths became a rallying cry for allied forces. The U.S. Navy has since named two destroyers The Sullivans after the brothers. The current ship’s motto is “We Stick Together.” To read about another recent discovery of a World War II ship, go to “Finding Indianapolis.”

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