This particular class of vessel is famous for being an air warfare destroyer equipped with the advanced Aegis defense system with AN/SPY-1D radar. The U.S.S. The Sullivans has a rather unusual name, but one that is rich in heritage. In November 1942, the U.S.S. Juneau was sunk by a Japanese submarine near Guadalcanal. There were five brothers aboard the ship – George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan. The name of this modern destroyer commemorates the tragic deaths of these five brothers, the largest loss of life in any one family in WWII. DDG-68 was commissioned on 19 April 1997.