USS The Sullivans ( DDG - 68 ) USS " The Sullivans " ( DDG - 68 ) , an " Arleigh Burke " - class " Aegis " guided missile destroyer , is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the five Sullivan brothers — George , Francis , Joseph , Madison , and Albert Sullivan , aged 20 to 27 – who lost their lives when their ship , USS " Juneau " , was sunk by a Japanese submarine in November 1942 in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal ( the first ship named for them was DD - 537 ) . This was the greatest military loss by any one American family during World War II . In 2000 a group affiliated with Al Qaeda attempted to attack and destroy " The Sullivans " , but the attackers ' boat sank before the attack could be carried out . Construction . The contract to build " The Sullivans " was awarded to Bath Iron Works Corporation in Bath , Maine on 8 April 1992 and her keel was laid down on 27 July 1994 . She was launched on 12 August 1995 sponsored by Kelly Ann Sullivan Loughren , granddaughter of Albert Sullivan . The ship was commissioned on 19 April 1997 , with Commander Gerard D . Roncolato in command . Upon her commissioning , the ship was given the motto that is thought to have been spoken by the brothers when asked to separate during World War II , " " We Stick Together " . " History . On 26 April 1997 , " The Sullivans " departed New York City for Norfolk , Virginia , where , after arriving on 27 April , the crew completed underway replenishment qualifications with " Platte " ( AO - 186 ) . The warship then sailed for NS Mayport , Florida , on 29 April and arrived in her new homeport on 2 May . After completing two days of gunnery trials in mid - May , " The Sullivans " embarked upon her shakedown deployment to the West Indies on 27 May . That cruise took her to the waters off Puerto Rico and the U . S . Virgin Islands , where the destroyer conducted numerous sonar , gunnery , and torpedo exercises . The warship also twice entered Roosevelt Roads and stopped once at St . Thomas , U . S . Virgin Islands for port visits . On 29 June , " The Sullivans " conducted test firings of Standard SM - 2 ER missile s from her vertical launch system ( VLS ) . After a brief stop at Mayport for the 4 July weekend , the warship joined other " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyers , cruiser s , destroyers , and frigate s off the Virginia Capes for a multiple - ship missile firing exercise . She returned to Mayport on 12 July for upkeep . Following three days of damage control exercises in mid - August , the crew began preparations for a post shakedown availability . She sailed for Maine on 3 September , arriving at Bath Iron Works on 5 September . The shipyard repainted the hull , altered the superstructure , and installed equipment upgrades in the engineering plant and combat systems suite . When the yard work was completed " The Sullivans " got underway for Mayport , arriving there on 23 November . On 8 December the destroyer joined the carrier " Enterprise " ( CVN - 65 ) off Georgia for a week of underway training . While providing plane guard services on 11 December , a T - 45 Goshawk trainer splashed following take - off . " The Sullivans " made a high - speed dash to the site . While the carrier ' s rescue helicopter safely rescued the pilot , boats launched by " The Sullivans " picked up considerable pieces of wreckage which were helpful in determining the cause of the crash . The crew also completed helicopter deck landing qualifications before returning to port for the holidays on 12 December . In January 1998 , the crew of " The Sullivans " began a series of exercises designed " to build the capability for long - term self - sustained training onboard . " They included engineering , combat , seamanship , and battle scenario training exercises . These local operations lasted until 18 May when the warship got underway for New York City and the annual " Fleet Week " celebrations . Following a week - long port visit , " The Sullivans " got underway on 26 May for Halifax , Nova Scotia , to conduct training workups for the upcoming Exercise " Unified Spirit ' 98 . " During the exercise she joined an amphibious task force formed around " Nassau " , two Amphibious transport dock s ( LPDs ) , and two dock landing ships ( LSDs ) . The warship screened the " gator " ships during an exercise focusing on multi - national peace enforcement operations . Ships from Canada , Great Britain , Germany , France , Norway , Denmark , Belgium , and Portugal also participated in the exercise . After this exercise , the ship visited Boston , Massachusetts , and then sailed with relatives and family for Mayport , arriving on 1 July . After a summer of conducting midshipmen training off the Florida coast , CDR Roncolato was relieved by CDR E . Scott Hebner , USN , in a change of command ceremony on 4 September 1998 . " The Sullivans " was then assigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 , a component of the " John F . Kennedy " Battle Group . In 1999 the ship participated in various training exercises to prepare for her maiden deployment in October to the Mediterranean Sea . Later in 2000 she continued into the Arabian Sea , participating in exercises and boarding operations until late March . On 9 February 2000 , CDR Daniel Paul Keller USN relieved CDR Heber in a change of command ceremony held at sea on station in the Persian Gulf . After port visits in the Persian Gulf , " The Sullivans " returned through the Mediterranean Sea to her homeport in April 2000 , successfully completing her first six month deployment . After participating in BEACHFEST at Port Canaveral , Florida , " The Sullivans " underwent a major maintenance overhaul to prepare for future operations . While underway and sailing for Composite Unit Training Exercise 01 - 2 the Sullivans received word of the September 11th attacks . The Sullivans , as part of the Kennedy Battle Group , took part in Operation Noble Eagle . The destroyer provided air - space security along the mid - Atlantic seaboard , including Washington D . C . , and served as a temporary hospital alongside a pier in New York City . In February 2002 " The Sullivans " deployed with the " John F . Kennedy " Carrier battle group to the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . On 20 March 2010 as the ship entered the harbor at Manama , Bahrain it struck a harbor buoy and sustained between $ 200 , 000 and $ 1 million in damage . The ship ' s captain , Commander Neil Funtanilla , was subsequently relieved of his command at an admiral ' s mast by Rear Admiral Phil Davidson , commander of Combined Task Force 50 . On 17 August 2011 , " The Sullivans " mistakenly fired on a fishing boat rather than a towed gunnery target during a gunnery exercise off North Carolina . As a result , Commander Mark Olson was relieved of his command . None of the inert shells hit the boat and there were no injuries as a result of the incident . On 7 May 2012 , Commander Derick Armstrong was relieved of command after several female crew members alleged that he sexually harassed women aboard ship . On 18 August 2013 , " The Sullivans " provided medical assistance to an ill mariner on board the MV " Abir Alqaray No . 4 " , a Saudi Arabian - flagged dhow , off the coast of Saudi Arabia . Al Qaeda attack attempt . Members of al - Qaeda attempted an attack on " The Sullivans " while in port at Aden , Yemen on 3 January 2000 as a part of the 2000 millennium attack plots . The plan was to load a boat full of explosives and explode near " The Sullivans " . However the boat was so overladen that it sank , forcing the attack to be abandoned . Later , al - Qaeda tried the same type of attack a second time , successfully bombing the on 12 October 2000 .