I’ve waited a very long time to share this news and written it in my head about 50 times. Back on February 6th I got an email Paul Mayer, my friend and crew member on the RV PETREL. The wreck of the USS STRONG DD467 had been found!!! After reading the first part of the email with his warning, “You better sit down”, and then advising me to take a few breaths I commenced to hyperventilate and break into uncontrollable sobs – happy sobs, to be sure. The RV PETREL was in the Solomons looking for the USS HORNET and another wreck to be announced later, both of which have been found. Due to bad weather in Ironbottom Sound in early February, they headed up to the Kula Gulf. They found the ship while running some test scans with the AUV. At the time they gave me permission to share the news with families only. This was very hard, but very necessary. STRONG was not a commissioned search, but a side job they took to heart. After two unsuccessful attempts to locate her back in 2015 and March of 2018, they went for #3 and were successful. The aircraft carriers were to be announced first, then STRONG. After waiting 20 years for this to come about, I could wait a few more days. The wait was worth it, and I want to thank the families for keeping it under their hats.
And, now it’s time to talk about the people who helped all this happen over the years. I found one naval historian early on, worked with him for a couple of years, but that didn’t pan out. I knew I needed to find someone else, and with the help of another exploration group who knew of him, I found David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries, LTD. David and I have been in a working relationship for nearly 8 years now. He gave me leads on research, I shared what I learned with him and even was able to surprise him with a few things he didn’t know, such as Captain Wellings’ of STRONG and his relationship with the HMS HOOD, one of David’s finds and a project he was very passionate about. In 2015 David was on OCTOPUS for awhile with the same crew now on PETREL. The OCTOPUS had been in the Philippines locating the wreck of IJN MUSASHI. He was not on board when they searched the Kula Gulf for the first time, but gave them search parameters. While in the area OCTOPUS went into Kula Gulf. They dove the ROV and used the manned sub there to check for wrecks, and at this time didn’t find anything. Later that year we met David in person for the first time in Gettysburg at a ship’s reunion, where he also met 2 of the survivors of the STRONG. In 2016 David took time off being at sea to get his book written and published, but has still been supportive and helpful every time I contact him. David deserves many thanks for always being there for me and I hope he realizes how much I appreciate his time, expertise and friendship.
As David left the picture, in came the men who work for Vulcan, Inc., the company owned and run by the late great Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and owner of the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks. Mr. Allen took an interest in STRONG, which allowed the search in 2015. In 2017 he acquired the RV PETREL as a primary research vessel and transferred his technical crew to that ship. They started a Facebook page which I quickly started following. I noticed there was a great deal of public interaction, such as tours of the ship, video made by folks who visited while they were in various ports and even video of changing the battery in the AUV. To me, it boded well for possible contact directly with the crew. I emailed David and asked if he thought there could be some email exchanges and contact, if they would be open to it. A few days later he hooked me up with Paul Mayer and the rest is history.
We hit it off famously from the start. From the first conversation with Paul, then Skyping with him from his home I was completely comfortable and felt like I was talking with a true kindred spirit. Soon after, my husband Greg and I headed to Tennessee where he lives with his beautiful wife Rosie and their sweet menagerie of dogs, a cat and 2 goats. We spent many hours together learning about him, the work they do on board ship and sharing information and then a wonderful meal when Rosie got home. Meeting Paul and Rosie who looked at him and said, “Paul, you have to find that ship” kind of sealed the deal. Paul was my connection to the crew, but it took the crew and the approval of the team at Vulcan, Inc. to continue to allow them to pursue this. His boss Rob Kraft was the key. Rob had to agree, had to believe it was worth doing or none of this could continue. For that Rob, there will be a fine bottle of Kentucky bourbon in your future or wine if you prefer. There is no way to properly repay you and the crew for your efforts, so bourbon or Buffalo Trace bourbon balls will have to do. As for the crew, Paul sent me a list. So my eternal thanks and appreciation go to Rob Kraft, Director of Subsea Operations; Paul Mayer, lead researcher and ROV pilot; Rudy Schlepp, ROV pilot; the AUV operators Craig Foy, Eric Brager, Rich Mello; shift leads and main ROV pilots, Scott Matthews and Pat Travis. Guys, when I meet you there will be hugs, many hugs. I’m a grandmother, so I do good hugs. Be warned.
And then there’s Stephen Harding, author of The Castaway’s War, the story of STRONG and survivor Lt. Hugh Barr Miller, Jr. Steve wasn’t part of the expedition force, yet since he first contacted me in June of 2013 asking for research help with an article he has been a partner, ally and friend. The book came out in 2016 and the film rights were purchased just a few weeks later. So, this went from an article to a book and now to a movie to be shot about mid-year 2019 in Australia! We are not yet finished with this journey. He’s along for this endeavor just as much as anyone else involved and I’m so happy to have him aboard!
Finally, the many STRONG friends and family members who came along on this journey with me. As of now, I have 93 family members and their contact information. That doesn’t count the additional people who have asked to be put on the list serve. Each of those 93 family members have others they share my emails with. One of them told me he keeps 22 other people informed! If each of them has perhaps an average of 5 other persons they email, then there are hundreds of others who have followed along and I am grateful for every one. My web hits have come from all corners of the globe – every continent, most countries and most all 50 states. If not for the support of the families of these men, the fact that they even cared about what I was trying to do then there would be no project. The website would have died a long time ago and I would just be wondering “what if”. There was no giving up, for Billy’s sake and for the other families who never got closure. I appreciate all of you, and I hope you have gotten as much from this project as I have. It’s been unbelievable and from the bottom of my heart I thank you all. Special props to my very first family member back in 2010 who served as a research buddy and butt kicker when I needed to get things done, Andy Hoder. Our brother from another mother!
And my husband Greg, who has been loving and supportive from Day 1. He has enjoyed the research, meeting new people, the travel and all as much as I have. I love him bunches for sticking with me and the craziness that has happened or will happen.
Right now I’m still overwhelmed and full of questions. At some point I will be headed to the South Pacific to lay the plaque at the site. That will be the end of an endeavor that started when I was 8 years old. Having all of you on board with this has been inspiring and uplifting. Your support and encouragement has meant EVERYTHING. This is for Uncle Billy, this is for your Dad, your Grandfather, Uncle, Brother, Husband – for the boys and men of STRONG. I couldn’t be happier right now, or more grateful to David Mearns for his help in the past, and to the crew of the RV PETREL especially Paul Mayer and Rob Kraft. And of course, the late Paul Allen who allowed this to happen because he believed these men and their sacrifices should not be forgotten. We owe them so much!!!
I’ll keep you all posted on when the plaque will go in the water. For now, I’m a happy camper. We’re not done yet.
Tammi
P.S. On media coverage concerning the event or your family member, Paul says “Vulcan will do a news release so it’s a matter of who wants to pick it up. Vulcan will also have a Dropbox of media available to news outlets if they contact us on the Facebook page or Vulcan directly we will give them the link.”
And, now it’s time to talk about the people who helped all this happen over the years. I found one naval historian early on, worked with him for a couple of years, but that didn’t pan out. I knew I needed to find someone else, and with the help of another exploration group who knew of him, I found David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries, LTD. David and I have been in a working relationship for nearly 8 years now. He gave me leads on research, I shared what I learned with him and even was able to surprise him with a few things he didn’t know, such as Captain Wellings’ of STRONG and his relationship with the HMS HOOD, one of David’s finds and a project he was very passionate about. In 2015 David was on OCTOPUS for awhile with the same crew now on PETREL. The OCTOPUS had been in the Philippines locating the wreck of IJN MUSASHI. He was not on board when they searched the Kula Gulf for the first time, but gave them search parameters. While in the area OCTOPUS went into Kula Gulf. They dove the ROV and used the manned sub there to check for wrecks, and at this time didn’t find anything. Later that year we met David in person for the first time in Gettysburg at a ship’s reunion, where he also met 2 of the survivors of the STRONG. In 2016 David took time off being at sea to get his book written and published, but has still been supportive and helpful every time I contact him. David deserves many thanks for always being there for me and I hope he realizes how much I appreciate his time, expertise and friendship.
As David left the picture, in came the men who work for Vulcan, Inc., the company owned and run by the late great Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and owner of the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks. Mr. Allen took an interest in STRONG, which allowed the search in 2015. In 2017 he acquired the RV PETREL as a primary research vessel and transferred his technical crew to that ship. They started a Facebook page which I quickly started following. I noticed there was a great deal of public interaction, such as tours of the ship, video made by folks who visited while they were in various ports and even video of changing the battery in the AUV. To me, it boded well for possible contact directly with the crew. I emailed David and asked if he thought there could be some email exchanges and contact, if they would be open to it. A few days later he hooked me up with Paul Mayer and the rest is history.
We hit it off famously from the start. From the first conversation with Paul, then Skyping with him from his home I was completely comfortable and felt like I was talking with a true kindred spirit. Soon after, my husband Greg and I headed to Tennessee where he lives with his beautiful wife Rosie and their sweet menagerie of dogs, a cat and 2 goats. We spent many hours together learning about him, the work they do on board ship and sharing information and then a wonderful meal when Rosie got home. Meeting Paul and Rosie who looked at him and said, “Paul, you have to find that ship” kind of sealed the deal. Paul was my connection to the crew, but it took the crew and the approval of the team at Vulcan, Inc. to continue to allow them to pursue this. His boss Rob Kraft was the key. Rob had to agree, had to believe it was worth doing or none of this could continue. For that Rob, there will be a fine bottle of Kentucky bourbon in your future or wine if you prefer. There is no way to properly repay you and the crew for your efforts, so bourbon or Buffalo Trace bourbon balls will have to do. As for the crew, Paul sent me a list. So my eternal thanks and appreciation go to Rob Kraft, Director of Subsea Operations; Paul Mayer, lead researcher and ROV pilot; Rudy Schlepp, ROV pilot; the AUV operators Craig Foy, Eric Brager, Rich Mello; shift leads and main ROV pilots, Scott Matthews and Pat Travis. Guys, when I meet you there will be hugs, many hugs. I’m a grandmother, so I do good hugs. Be warned.
And then there’s Stephen Harding, author of The Castaway’s War, the story of STRONG and survivor Lt. Hugh Barr Miller, Jr. Steve wasn’t part of the expedition force, yet since he first contacted me in June of 2013 asking for research help with an article he has been a partner, ally and friend. The book came out in 2016 and the film rights were purchased just a few weeks later. So, this went from an article to a book and now to a movie to be shot about mid-year 2019 in Australia! We are not yet finished with this journey. He’s along for this endeavor just as much as anyone else involved and I’m so happy to have him aboard!
Finally, the many STRONG friends and family members who came along on this journey with me. As of now, I have 93 family members and their contact information. That doesn’t count the additional people who have asked to be put on the list serve. Each of those 93 family members have others they share my emails with. One of them told me he keeps 22 other people informed! If each of them has perhaps an average of 5 other persons they email, then there are hundreds of others who have followed along and I am grateful for every one. My web hits have come from all corners of the globe – every continent, most countries and most all 50 states. If not for the support of the families of these men, the fact that they even cared about what I was trying to do then there would be no project. The website would have died a long time ago and I would just be wondering “what if”. There was no giving up, for Billy’s sake and for the other families who never got closure. I appreciate all of you, and I hope you have gotten as much from this project as I have. It’s been unbelievable and from the bottom of my heart I thank you all. Special props to my very first family member back in 2010 who served as a research buddy and butt kicker when I needed to get things done, Andy Hoder. Our brother from another mother!
And my husband Greg, who has been loving and supportive from Day 1. He has enjoyed the research, meeting new people, the travel and all as much as I have. I love him bunches for sticking with me and the craziness that has happened or will happen.
Right now I’m still overwhelmed and full of questions. At some point I will be headed to the South Pacific to lay the plaque at the site. That will be the end of an endeavor that started when I was 8 years old. Having all of you on board with this has been inspiring and uplifting. Your support and encouragement has meant EVERYTHING. This is for Uncle Billy, this is for your Dad, your Grandfather, Uncle, Brother, Husband – for the boys and men of STRONG. I couldn’t be happier right now, or more grateful to David Mearns for his help in the past, and to the crew of the RV PETREL especially Paul Mayer and Rob Kraft. And of course, the late Paul Allen who allowed this to happen because he believed these men and their sacrifices should not be forgotten. We owe them so much!!!
I’ll keep you all posted on when the plaque will go in the water. For now, I’m a happy camper. We’re not done yet.
Tammi
P.S. On media coverage concerning the event or your family member, Paul says “Vulcan will do a news release so it’s a matter of who wants to pick it up. Vulcan will also have a Dropbox of media available to news outlets if they contact us on the Facebook page or Vulcan directly we will give them the link.”
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