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USS Strong (DD-467)
Encyclopedia
USS Strong (DD-467), a Fletcher-class
destroyer
, was the first ship of the United States Navy
to be named for Rear Admiral James H. Strong (1814–1882), who distinguished himself at the Battle of Mobile Bay
.
Strong was laid down on 30 April 1941 at Bath, Maine
, by Bath Iron Works
; launched on 17 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Hobart Olson; and commissioned on 7 August 1942, Commander Joseph H. Wellings in command.
to San Juan, Puerto Rico
, and returned to Norfolk, Va.
, on the 27th. She departed there two days later for New York. On 13 November, Strong sailed with convoy UGS-2 bound for North Africa
n ports. She arrived at Casablanca
on 29 November and returned to New York with convoy GUF-2. Following a yard availability period, 11 to 26 December, the destroyer moved to Norfolk.
Strong sailed on 27 December 1942; transited the Panama Canal
; refueled at Bora Bora
, Society Islands
; and arrived at Noumea
on 27 January 1943. Strong then escorted the convoy northwest for two days and was relieved to return to Nouméa. On 1 February, she and Cony
(DD-508) escorted a convoy bound for Espiritu Santo
, New Hebrides
. She sailed from there on 5 February for the Solomon Islands
and patrolled off Guadalcanal until the 13th when she joined Task Force 67 (TF 67) composed of four cruiser
s and their destroyer screen.
The task force devoted most of the next month to patrol duty in waters in and around the Solomons. On 14 March, Strong,
Nicholas
(DD-449),
Radford
(DD-446), and
Taylor
(DD-468)
were detached to bombard shore installations on Kolombangara
island and shelled targets on Vila Stanmore Plantation on 16 March. The force then resumed patrol duties in the Solomons. On the morning of 5 April, Strong made a surface radar
contact at a range of 9,350 yards. The target was illuminated by her searchlight
and proved to be a Japan
ese submarine
. Strong and
O'Bannon
(DD-450)
opened fire with all guns. Strong made at least three 5 inches (127 mm) hits on the submarine, and O'Bannon also scored. The submarine,
RO-34
,
settled by the stern and went under. Depth charge
patterns from the destroyers insured that it stayed down.
Strong, with TF 18, accompanied three destroyer minelayer
s to Blackett Strait
, between Kolombangara and Arundel Island
, and mined
it in the early morning hours of 7 May. The next morning, four Japanese destroyers sailed around Kolombangara into the strait and the minefield. One sank immediately; two were damaged and sunk by aircraft that afternoon; and the fourth, although badly damaged, managed to escape.
On the night of 12–13 May, Strong and the task force bombarded Kolombangara, Enogai Inlet, and Rice Anchorage. The destroyer then began escort and patrol duty off Guadalcanal
. On the afternoon of 16 June, she was about halfway between Guadalcanal and Tulagi
when a flight of approximately 15 Japanese dive bombers attacked American shipping. Strong was the closest ship to the bombers as they approached in a shallow glide from the direction of Koli Point. Between 14:14 and 14:21, she splashed three of them.
On the morning of 5 July, American forces landed at Rice Anchorage. Strong and TF 18 were to support the landings by shelling Vila-Stanmore, Enogai, and Bairoko
. Strong and Nicholas entered Bairoko Harbor to search ahead of the main force and shelled the harbor from 00:30 to 00:40. Nine minutes later, Strongs gunnery officer sighted a torpedo wake. Before he had time to notify the bridge, the torpedo hit her port side aft. Chevalier
(DD-451) intentionally rammed Strongs bow to enable her to throw nets and lines to the stricken ship, and removed 241 men in about seven minutes. Japanese gunners on Enogai beach spotted the ships, illuminated them with star shells, and then opened fire with high explosives. O'Bannon began counter-battery fire in an effort to silence the enemy guns which were soon hitting Strong. Chevalier had to cease rescue operations lest she also get hit. Strong began to settle rapidly with a 40° to 60° list to starboard. She broke in half just before sinking. Several of her depth charges exploded, causing further injuries and loss of life. Forty-six men perished with the ship. Her name was struck from the Navy list
on 15 July 1943. The fatal torpedo was from a salvo fired by the Japanese destroyers, led by Niizuki, from a distance of 11 nautical miles (20.4 km).
Fletcher class destroyer
The Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, was the first ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named for Rear Admiral James H. Strong (1814–1882), who distinguished himself at the Battle of Mobile Bay
Battle of Mobile Bay
The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Federal fleet commanded by Rear Adm. David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Adm...
.
Strong was laid down on 30 April 1941 at Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, by Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
; launched on 17 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Hobart Olson; and commissioned on 7 August 1942, Commander Joseph H. Wellings in command.
History
After completing her shakedown cruise and post-shakedown availability, Strong sailed on 15 October with a convoyConvoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
to San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, and returned to Norfolk, Va.
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, on the 27th. She departed there two days later for New York. On 13 November, Strong sailed with convoy UGS-2 bound for North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n ports. She arrived at Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
on 29 November and returned to New York with convoy GUF-2. Following a yard availability period, 11 to 26 December, the destroyer moved to Norfolk.
Strong sailed on 27 December 1942; transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
; refueled at Bora Bora
Bora Bora
The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef, 29.3 km² in total, and of the atoll of Tupai , located north of Bora Bora...
, Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
; and arrived at Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
on 27 January 1943. Strong then escorted the convoy northwest for two days and was relieved to return to Nouméa. On 1 February, she and Cony
USS Cony (DD-508)
USS Cony , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Joseph S. Cony , a naval officer during the Civil War....
(DD-508) escorted a convoy bound for Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
. She sailed from there on 5 February for the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and patrolled off Guadalcanal until the 13th when she joined Task Force 67 (TF 67) composed of four cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s and their destroyer screen.
The task force devoted most of the next month to patrol duty in waters in and around the Solomons. On 14 March, Strong,
Nicholas
USS Nicholas (DD-449)
USS Nicholas was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, which served through most of World War II, and for 27 years and two more wars after. She was the second Navy ship to be named for Major Samuel Nicholas....
(DD-449),
Radford
USS Radford (DD-446)
USS Radford , named for Rear Admiral William Radford, was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War....
(DD-446), and
Taylor
USS Taylor (DD-468)
USS Taylor was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral William Rogers Taylor . She was laid down on 28 August 1941 at Bath, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works Corp.; launched on 7 June 1942, sponsored by Mrs. H. A...
(DD-468)
were detached to bombard shore installations on Kolombangara
Kolombangara
Kolombangara is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean...
island and shelled targets on Vila Stanmore Plantation on 16 March. The force then resumed patrol duties in the Solomons. On the morning of 5 April, Strong made a surface radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
contact at a range of 9,350 yards. The target was illuminated by her searchlight
Searchlight
A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
and proved to be a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. Strong and
O'Bannon
USS O'Bannon (DD-450)
USS O'Bannon , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon , the Marine Corps's "hero of Derna"....
(DD-450)
opened fire with all guns. Strong made at least three 5 inches (127 mm) hits on the submarine, and O'Bannon also scored. The submarine,
RO-34
Japanese submarine Ro-34
Ro-34 was a Ro-33-class submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned on May 31, 1937 the submarine saw action for Imperial Japanese forces during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The submarine was sunk off the Russell Islands in the Solomons with all hands by the United States Navy...
,
settled by the stern and went under. Depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
patterns from the destroyers insured that it stayed down.
Strong, with TF 18, accompanied three destroyer minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
s to Blackett Strait
Blackett Strait
Blackett Strait is a waterway in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It lies between the islands of Kolombangara to the north, and Arundel Island to the south...
, between Kolombangara and Arundel Island
Arundel Island
Arundel Island is an island, part of the New Georgia Islands in the Solomon Islands. It is located between Kolombangara and New Georgia, at . It is separated from Kolombangara by Blackett Strait....
, and mined
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
it in the early morning hours of 7 May. The next morning, four Japanese destroyers sailed around Kolombangara into the strait and the minefield. One sank immediately; two were damaged and sunk by aircraft that afternoon; and the fourth, although badly damaged, managed to escape.
On the night of 12–13 May, Strong and the task force bombarded Kolombangara, Enogai Inlet, and Rice Anchorage. The destroyer then began escort and patrol duty off Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
. On the afternoon of 16 June, she was about halfway between Guadalcanal and Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
when a flight of approximately 15 Japanese dive bombers attacked American shipping. Strong was the closest ship to the bombers as they approached in a shallow glide from the direction of Koli Point. Between 14:14 and 14:21, she splashed three of them.
On the morning of 5 July, American forces landed at Rice Anchorage. Strong and TF 18 were to support the landings by shelling Vila-Stanmore, Enogai, and Bairoko
Bairoko Harbor
Bairoko Harbor is situated along the northwestern shore of the island of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands.During World War II Japan used Bairoko Harbor to resupply its forces at Munda Point, an airstrip situated along the south coast of New Georgia...
. Strong and Nicholas entered Bairoko Harbor to search ahead of the main force and shelled the harbor from 00:30 to 00:40. Nine minutes later, Strongs gunnery officer sighted a torpedo wake. Before he had time to notify the bridge, the torpedo hit her port side aft. Chevalier
USS Chevalier (DD-451)
USS Chevalier , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Commander Godfrey Chevalier....
(DD-451) intentionally rammed Strongs bow to enable her to throw nets and lines to the stricken ship, and removed 241 men in about seven minutes. Japanese gunners on Enogai beach spotted the ships, illuminated them with star shells, and then opened fire with high explosives. O'Bannon began counter-battery fire in an effort to silence the enemy guns which were soon hitting Strong. Chevalier had to cease rescue operations lest she also get hit. Strong began to settle rapidly with a 40° to 60° list to starboard. She broke in half just before sinking. Several of her depth charges exploded, causing further injuries and loss of life. Forty-six men perished with the ship. Her name was struck from the Navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 15 July 1943. The fatal torpedo was from a salvo fired by the Japanese destroyers, led by Niizuki, from a distance of 11 nautical miles (20.4 km).