Two Randys Web Site
The USS The Sullivans - DD537
Welcome to my page dedicated to my father, who served on The USS The Sullivans - DD537 during WWII. I have decided to add this page to our web site as a tribute to my father and all of those brave men and women that have and continue to serve their country.
The USS The Sullivans has a great history. This great Destroyer was actually commissioned while my father was serving on her. How The USS The Sullivans came about is a sad true story....read below...
During WWII their were five brothers that felt the calling to the war as so many young men did. Those brothers, George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert were from a very close knit family. Upon enlisting, two of the brothers were placed on the same ship, The USS Juneau. After some begging and pleading on their part, the other three brothers were allowed to join them on the Juneau. The Navy never thought about the consequences of putting the five brothers on the same ship. On November 13, 1942 the USS Juneau was sunk by a Japanese submarine. The five Sullivan brothers all perished in that sinking, along with 700 other men. Shortly after informing the family that their five sons had all perished in the sinking of the Juneau, President Roosevelt directed that one of the new Fletcher Class of Destroyers be named after the five brothers. Thus, The USS The Sullivans was born.
My father, C.E. Tim Timmons Jr. served from June 7, 1943 - February 17, 1946. He did his basic training in Farragut, Idaho. After basic he was sent to Treasure Island, California where he boarded The USS The Sullivans. My father is a "Plank Owner", because he was aboard the ship before it was commissioned and helped bring all the supplies, ammunition, tools, parts and everything needed to get the ship ready for the open seas. While aboard the ship, my father was a Ship Fitter, doing all the repairs and welding above deck.
I can remember growing up that my father would NOT eat rice. At one point they had been out at sea for a very long time and ran low on food. All they ate was rice, morning, noon and night until they got back to port. My father hated rice for the longest time. It wasn't until the late 1970's that my father would eat rice again!
The USS The Sullivans - DD537 was decommissioned in 1965. It is now berthed at the Buffalo, N.Y. & Erie County Naval & Servicemen's park. It has been declared a National Landmark. While in service The USS The Sullivans fought in the Marshalls, Carolines, Mariannas and Phillippines and earned nine battle stars. After deployment in Korea, the Cuban blockade, and the rescue efforts for the sub Thresher, she was laid up.
My father (in the green jacket) at a reunion for The USS The Sullivans in Buffalo, NY
These are bunks like my father would have slept in aboard The USS The Sullivans
Mess hall, this place of dining was also used for the men to relax and entertain each other. And during war time, many men were actually bunked in this room as well
Phillipine American Area Asiatic-Pacific World War Liberation Medal Campaign Medal Area Campaign Victory Medal 2-Stars Medal - 9-Stars
These are medals my father received while in service. He was given his Honorable Discharge February 17, 1946 while serving on the Vella Gulf in Bremerton, Washington.
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