From DANFS,
https://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cl52.txt :
On 8 November JUNEAU departed Noumea, New Caledonia, as a unit of Task Force 67 under the command of Rear Admiral R. K. Turner to escort reinforcements to Guadalcanal. The force arrived there early morning 12 November, and JUNEAU took up her station in the protective screen around the transports and cargo vessels. Unloading proceeded unmolested until 1405 when 30 Japanese planes attacked the alerted United States group. The AA fire was devastating, and JUNEAU alone accounted for six enemy torpedo planes shot down. The few remaining attackers were pounced on by American fighters; only one bomber escaped. Later in the day an American attack group of cruisers and destroyers cleared Guadalcanal on reports that a large enemy surface force was headed for the island. At 0148 on 13 November Rear Admiral D. J. Callaghan's relatively small Landing Support Group engaged the enemy. The Japanese force of 18 to 20 hips, including 2 battleships, far outnumbered and outgunned his force, but did not outfight it.
American gunnery scored effectively almost immediately sinking an enemy destroyer. JUNEAU teamed with ATLANTA (CL-51) to destroy another as the two forces slugged it out at close range. During the exchange JUNEAU was struck on the port side by a torpedo causing a severe list and necessitating withdrawal. Before noon 13 November, the battered American force began retirement. JUNEAU was steaming on one screw, keeping station 800 yards on the starboard quarter of the likewise severely damaged SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38). She was down 12 feet by the bow, but able to maintain 13 knots. A few minutes after 1100 three torpedoes were launched from the Japanese submarine I-26. JUNEAU successfully avoided two, but the third struck her at the same point which had been damaged during the surface action. There was a terrific explosion; JUNEAU broke in two and disappeared in 20 seconds. The gallant ship with Captain Swanson and most of her crew, including the five Sullivan brothers, was lost. Only 10 members of the crew survived the tragedy.
From W'pedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Juneau_(CL-52) :
A few minutes after 1100, two torpedoes were launched from Japanese submarine I-26. These were intended for San Francisco, but both passed ahead of her. One struck Juneau in the same place that had been hit during the battle. There was a great explosion; Juneau broke in two and disappeared in just 20 seconds. Fearing more attacks from I-26, and wrongly assuming from the massive explosion that there were no survivors, Helena and San Francisco departed without attempting to rescue any survivors. In fact, more than 100 sailors had survived the sinking of Juneau. They were left to fend for themselves in the open ocean for eight days before rescue aircraft belatedly arrived. While awaiting rescue, all but 10 died from the elements and shark attacks. Among those lost were the five Sullivan brothers. Two of the brothers apparently survived the sinking, only to die in the water; two presumably went down with the ship. Some reports indicate the fifth brother also survived the sinking, but disappeared during the first night when he left the raft and got into the water. On 20 November 1942, USS Ballard recovered two of the ten survivors. Five more in a raft were rescued by a PBY Seaplane five miles away. Three others, including a badly wounded officer, made it to San Cristobal (now Makira) Island, about 55 miles away from the sinking. One of the survivors recovered by Ballard stated he had been with one of the Sullivan brothers for several days after the sinking.
USS Juneau was of the Atlanta class of light cruisers, about 2/3 the displacement of the Brooklyn class of light cruisers and carrying 16 5"/38 guns. They were conceived of as leaders of destroyer flotillas, but as first the quote above indicates, they were also effective in AA, 5"/38s being very effective dual purpose guns.
