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The Fighting Sullivans Trivia Quiz

Five Brothers went to war on the same ship...none of them came back. Test your knowledge of The Fighting Sullivans!

A multiple-choice quiz by twista2. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
twista2

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
52,822

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
1802

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Where were the Sullivans Brothers from? Hint

French Lick, Indiana

Mentor, Ohio

Waterloo, Iowa

Tempe, Arizona

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Question 2 of 15

2. Of the following names, which one is NOT one of the brothers' names? Hint

Frank

Peter

George

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Question 3 of 15

3. What was the occupation of Tom Sullivan, the father of the bunch? Hint

Railroad Engineer

Stock Broker

Meat Packer

Shop Owner

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Question 4 of 15

4. Of what national descent were the Sullivan Brothers? (Think about it). Hint

Scottish

Italian

Dutch

Irish

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Question 5 of 15

5. Which of the five sons was the first to marry? Hint

George

Joe

Matt

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Question 6 of 15

6. Which branch of the armed services did the Sullivan Bros. serve? Hint

Marines

Air Force

Navy

Army

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Question 7 of 15

7. When did the brothers enlist in the war effort? Hint

November 13, 1942

December 7, 1941

September 1, 1939

January 2, 1942

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Question 8 of 15

8. What was the name of the ship that their neighborhood friend, Bill Ball, was on when it was sunk at Pearl Harbor? Hint

USS Juneau

USS Arizona

USS Indianapolis

USS Oklahoma

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Question 9 of 15

9. What was the full name of the brothers' only sister? Hint

Gladys

Jennifer

Genevieve

Gwendolyn

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Question 10 of 15

10. In what famous battle did the Sullivans fight and die in World War II? Hint

The Battle at Henderson Field

The Battle of Midway

The Battle of Guadalcanal

The Battle of the Bulge

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Question 11 of 15

11. What was the name of the Sullivans' ship? Hint

USS San Francisco

USS Indianapolis

USS Des Moines

USS Juneau

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Question 12 of 15

12. How did the ship sink? Hint

Collision with enemy ship

Plane bombed it

Collision with Allied ship

Torpedo shot

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Question 13 of 15

13. What was the second leading cause of death to the sailors of the ship? Hint

Burn Wounds

Enemy fire

Blood Loss

Shark Attacks

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Question 14 of 15

14. What was ironic about the day on which the Sullivan brothers were killed? Hint

It was December 7th

It was Friday the 13th

It was George's Birthday

It was September 11th

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Question 15 of 15

15. What did the Navy do to salute the brothers and their efforts in the war? Hint

Set up a fund for their family

Buried them in Arlington Nat'l Cemetary

Named a ship after them

Gave their mother a plaque

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where were the Sullivans Brothers from?

Answer: Waterloo, Iowa

2. Of the following names, which one is NOT one of the brothers' names?

Answer: Peter

It was George, Frank, Joe, Matt, and Al in that order by birth.

3. What was the occupation of Tom Sullivan, the father of the bunch?

Answer: Railroad Engineer

He served on the Illinois Central Railroad for over 33 years without ever missing a day of work. Not even the day he heard the tragic news of his boys' ill-fated voyage in the South Pacific!

4. Of what national descent were the Sullivan Brothers? (Think about it).

Answer: Irish

The Fighting Irish!

5. Which of the five sons was the first to marry?

Answer: Al

Al, being the youngest of the five bros, was the first to marry when he was merely 19 years old. He had a baby boy before he left for war.

6. Which branch of the armed services did the Sullivan Bros. serve?

Answer: Navy

The boys were self-proclaimed sailors from an early age, so it was no question that they would join the Navy in the war.

7. When did the brothers enlist in the war effort?

Answer: January 2, 1942

The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR gave his famous speech to the nation, declaring war.

8. What was the name of the ship that their neighborhood friend, Bill Ball, was on when it was sunk at Pearl Harbor?

Answer: USS Arizona

Bill was on the Arizona when it was attacked and perished along with many others. The Sullivans had a new reason to fight in the war!

9. What was the full name of the brothers' only sister?

Answer: Genevieve

Gen, for short, was the older sister of the bunch.

10. In what famous battle did the Sullivans fight and die in World War II?

Answer: The Battle of Guadalcanal

11. What was the name of the Sullivans' ship?

Answer: USS Juneau

The Juneau was a new ship and the Sullivans were proud of it. But it was merely an anti-aircraft vessel, not capable of withstanding the attacks inflicted by enemy destroyers.

12. How did the ship sink?

Answer: Torpedo shot

The torpedo, fired by the Japanese submarine, I-26, hit the ammunitions pile on one of the lower decks and the ship went up in a ball of fire. It took 5 minutes for the ship to explode after the torpedo hit.

13. What was the second leading cause of death to the sailors of the ship?

Answer: Shark Attacks

About 100 sailors survived the initial explosion, but rescuers only retrieved 6 after days of searching. The sharks got the rest, including George Sullivan.

14. What was ironic about the day on which the Sullivan brothers were killed?

Answer: It was Friday the 13th

Friday, November 13, 1942 - George died two days later, however, from the sharks after searching for his brothers aboard a piece of their ship. None of them were ever found.

15. What did the Navy do to salute the brothers and their efforts in the war?

Answer: Named a ship after them

The USS The Sullivans was christened a year after their death, by their mother. It served in Korea and retired shortly after.

Source: Author twista2

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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