USS Juneau ( CL - 52 ) The first USS " Juneau " ( CL - 52 ) was a United States Navy " Atlanta " - class light cruiser sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942 . In total 687 men , including the five Sullivan brothers , were killed in action as a result of its sinking . She was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding Company , Kearny , New Jersey , on 27 May 1940 , launched on 25 October 1941 , sponsored by Mrs . Harry I . Lucas , wife of the mayor of the city of Juneau , Alaska , and commissioned on 14 February 1942 , Captain Lyman K . Swenson in command . Service history . Following a hurried shakedown cruise along the Atlantic coast in the spring of 1942 , " Juneau " assumed blockade patrol in early May off Martinique and Guadeloupe Islands to prevent the escape of Vichy French Naval units . She returned to New York to complete alterations and operated in the North Atlantic and Caribbean from 1 June to 12 August on patrol and escort duties . The cruiser departed for the Pacific Theater on 22 August . Pacific theater . After stopping briefly at the Tonga Islands and New Caledonia , she rendezvoused on 10 September with Task Force 18 ( TF 18 ) under the command of Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes , flying his flag on . The following day TF 17 , which included , combined with Admiral Noyes ' unit to form TF 61 , whose mission was to ferry fighter aircraft to Guadalcanal . On 15 September , " Wasp " took three torpedo hits from the Japanese submarine , and , with fires raging out of control , was sunk at 2100 by . " Juneau " and screen destroyers rescued 1 , 910 survivors of " Wasp " and returned them to Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides on 16 September . The next day , the fast cruiser rejoined TF 17 . Operating with the " Hornet " group , she supported three actions that repulsed enemy thrusts at Guadalcanal : the Buin - Fasi - Tonolai Raid ; the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands ; and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal ( Third Savo ) . Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands . The ship ' s first major action was the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October . On 24 October , " Hornet " s task force had combined with group to reform TF 61 under the command of Rear Admiral Thomas C . Kinkaid . This force positioned itself north of the Santa Cruz Islands in order to intercept enemy units that might attempt to close Guadalcanal . Meanwhile , on Guadalcanal , the Japanese achieved a breakthrough along Lunga Ridge on the night of 25 October . That success evidently was a signal for enemy surface units to approach the island . Early on the morning of 26 October , US carrier planes uncovered the enemy force and immediately attacked it , damaging two Japanese carriers , one battleship , and three cruisers . But while American aircraft were locating and engaging the enemy , American ships were also under fire . Shortly after 1000 , some 27 enemy aircraft attacked " Hornet " . Though " Juneau " and other screen ships threw up an effective AA barrage which splashed about 20 of the attackers , " Hornet " was badly damaged and sank the next day . Just before noon , " Juneau " left " Hornet " s escort for the beleaguered " Enterprise " group several miles away . Adding her firepower , " Juneau " assisted in repulsing four enemy attacks on this force and splashing 18 Japanese planes . That evening the American forces retired to the southeast . Although the battle had been costly , it – combined with the Marine victory on Guadalcanal – turned back the attempted Japanese parry in the Solomons . Furthermore , the damaging of two Japanese carriers sharply curtailed the air cover available to the enemy in the subsequent Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . On 8 November , " Juneau " departed Nouméa , New Caledonia as a unit of TF 67 under the command of Rear Admiral Richmond K . Turner to escort reinforcements to Guadalcanal . The force arrived there early morning on 12 November , and " Juneau " took up her station in the protective screen around the transports and cargo vessels . Unloading proceeded unmolested until 1405 , when 30 Japanese planes attacked the alerted United States group . The AA fire was effective , and " Juneau " alone accounted for six enemy torpedo bomber s shot down . The few remaining Japanese planes were in turn attacked by American fighters ; only one bomber escaped . Later in the day , an American attack group of cruisers and destroyers cleared Guadalcanal on reports that a large enemy surface force was headed for the island . At 0148 on 13 November , Rear Admiral Daniel J . Callaghan ' s relatively small Landing Support Group engaged the enemy . The Japanese force consisted of two battleships , one light cruiser , and nine destroyers . Because of bad weather and confused communications , the battle occurred in near pitch darkness and at almost point - blank range as the ships of the two sides became intermingled . During the melee , " Juneau " was struck on the port side by a torpedo causing a severe list , and necessitating withdrawal . Before noon on 13 November , " Juneau , " along with two other cruisers damaged in the battle — " Helena " and " San Francisco " — headed toward Espiritu Santo for repairs . " Juneau " was steaming on one screw , keeping station 800 yd ( 730 m ) off the starboard quarter of the likewise severely damaged . She was down 12 ft ( 4 m ) by the bow , but able to maintain 13 kn ( 15 mph , 24 km / h ) . A few minutes after 1100 , two torpedoes were launched from . These were intended for " San Francisco " , but both passed ahead of her . One struck " Juneau " in the same place that had been hit during the battle . There was a great explosion ; " Juneau " broke in two and disappeared in just 20 seconds . Fearing more attacks from " I - 26 " , and wrongly assuming from the massive explosion that there were no survivors , " Helena " and " San Francisco " departed without attempting to rescue any survivors . In fact , more than 100 sailors had survived the sinking of " Juneau . " They were left to fend for themselves in the open ocean for eight days before rescue aircraft belatedly arrived . While awaiting rescue , all but 10 died from the elements and shark attacks , including the five Sullivan brothers . Two of the brothers apparently survived the sinking , only to die in the water ; two presumably went down with the ship . Some reports indicate the fifth brother also survived the sinking , but disappeared during the first day in the water . Awards . " Juneau " received four battle star s for her service in World War II .