USS Juneau
CL-52
Atlanta Class Light Cruiser

The picture of the five Sullivan brothers who perished aboard the USS Juneau never fails to move me. Their ship was torpedoed near Guadalcanal the night of 12 November 1942. Seriously damaged but still seaworthy, she was later hit by another submarine-launched torpedo. This time the damage was catastrophic. Her magazines exploded and she sank in 20 seconds. There were only 10 survivors. Subsequent to her loss the US Navy changed its rules governing family members serving aboard the same ship.

These National Archive photos show USS Juneau, a cruiser of the Atlanta class, during her short career which started at her October 1941 launching and ended in late 1942. Especially noteworthy is her striking paint scheme.

USS Juneau CL 52
Vital Statistics
Displacement: 6,718 tons, 8,340 tons full load
Length: 541.5' oa, 530' wl, Beam: 53'
Armament: sixteen 5" (8x2), sixteen 1.1" ( 4x4)
Range: 8,500nm @ 15kts
Aircraft: none
Torpedoes: eight 21"
Complement: 623

Click thumbnail image to view full size picture