Very close. Here are the facts.
It’s actually five Irish-American Sullivan brothers, who grew up in Iowa during the days of the Great Depression and served together in the United States Navy during World War II. Their eventual deaths in the Pacific theater aboard the light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52) (sunk on 13 November 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal) are also chronicled in a film, which is based on the brothers' true-life story.
The movie lets us assume that all 5 brothers died instantly, yet survivors of the attack reported that Frank, Joe, and Matt died instantly, while Al drowned the next day, and George survived for four or five days after that.
Two ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS The Sullivans, named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers who lost their lives when their ship, USS Juneau (CL-52), was sunk in November 1942. This was the greatest sacrifice by any one family during World War II.
The first, The Sullivans (DD-537), was a Fletcher-class destroyer, launched in 1943. In 1977, she was processed for donation to the city of Buffalo, N.Y., where she now serves as a memorial. The Niland family, which endured the second greatest sacrifice by any one family during the war, was from the Buffalo suburb of Kenmore and their similar sacrifice to the Sullivan family played a role in the decision to place The Sullivans as a museum ship in Buffalo instead of elsewhere.
The second, The Sullivans (DDG-68), is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, launched in 1995. As of 2008, she is still active in service.
As a direct result of the Sullivans' deaths, the U.S. War Department adopted the Sole Survivor Policy.
Until I looked I did not know the one of these ships was a memorial. God bless them for their sacrifice
