By the end of March 1943, the Japanese were making their presence known in the western Solomons after being pushed from Guadalcanal. They were concentrating on building up their forces in the Solomons and New Guinea. Japanese submarines abound, having been pulled in from actions in the Indian Ocean and Fiji to cruise “The Slot”, the area between New Georgia Island and the Santa Isabel Islands (see map). Once called the “Tokyo Express”, intensified destroyer activity by the Japanese caused the coining of a new term, now calling the patrolling Japanese the “Vila Express”. The Vila Express traveled from the Blackett Strait, via Vila Plantation on southern Kolombangara Island where they had built an air strip:

From the official write up of the USS Strong DD-467 documents:

“The Vila Express generally was made up of two or more destroyers routed through the 'Slot' or through Vella Gulf and Blackett Strait to off-load supplies and troops as reinforcements for the Japanese forces in the Kula Gulf and other areas.”

In mid-March, Strong, Nicholas, Radford and Taylor began bombarding targets in the Kula Gulf. They made several runs up the Slot chasing the Vila Express and at times bombing the airstrip at Vila Plantation. The next month shows a heating up of hostilities with the Americans and Japanese in the area.

I give you this information to catch you up on what was going on with Strong and with Captain Wellings at this point in time. He is not allowed to discuss their movements or actions, but is still regaling his wife with more tame and friendly tales of hanging out with both American and English compatriots, including another meeting with Gelzer Sims of the USS Maury.  Letter dated March 28, 1943:

“Yesterday and today have been very pleasant.  First of all I was secured next to Gelzer Sims which of course called for another session – with Gelzer doing 90% of the talking.  He has received a letter stating that he will shortly return to Charleston to put another boat in commission. I am all for it because it means one more old timer returning so that my turn will come just that much sooner.

Next I went over and paid an official call on an English ship.  While none of my friends were aboard, never the less they knew several of my friends.  Gosh it was like a dream to see them carry on.  I say a dream because it seems centuries ago since I was with the British fleet.  In addition what do you suppose I had for a liquor?  Yes you guessed it.  None other than Drambuie.  Sweetheart with every sip I thought of you.  I dragged out that drink for at least a half hour – and I might add that it was the last drink of the evening.  Remember our last drink of Drambuie with Capt. Madden and Ken Hartman.  Oh Sweetheart those were the happy days.  We did know it and make the best of our time in Washington in our own quiet way.  Never mind better days are coming and we will be even happier.

 After dinner last night we adjourned to anteroom (bar) while they cleaned off the table.  Then one of the officers sat down at the piano and we had a grand sing song.  The English officers did all their special Russian and Scottish dances – but none of their free for all.  I still say that we can learn a lot from the British on how to relax.  I was back aboard at 2230.

 This morning I was on one of the large ships for mass at 0845.  You would be surprised at the large attendance.  The boys get religion in wartime.  When I returned Gelzer was waiting for me.  This meant a cup of coffee and an hours “bull” session with once again “Admiral” doing most of the talking.  I finally got down to work at 1115 and worked until 1530 with time out for lunch.  At 1600 I attended a short conference and then called on Pop Shaw – A mustang who helped to bring Boot and I up in the Florida.  He has his own ship (cargo) and is he proud of her – as he should be.  After the call more paper work (fitness reports – the end of March) and then the final touches on a letter to the detail officer telling about my officer personnel – and also including the proposition of Fred relieving me sometime in May or the first part of June.  I am not counting the chickens before they are hatched but I thought I had better get the ball rolling.

 After a fine dinner we had Ginger Rogers in “The Major and the Minor”.  It was a riot – one of the best pictures I have seen – Now here I am writing to my sweetheart and then to bed.

 The newspapers started to arrive about two weeks ago and are they welcomed.  I think I received about 60 in the first lot.  I pass them on to Donald, Jackie Fulham and Curran.  I save them, just reading about 3 per day.  I have one with my breakfast.  I like them even if the news is old.  Bill Cunningham never gets old – at least his column doesn't.  I was surprised to read all the headlines about Guadalcanal during the early part of February.  Gosh the papers can make good stories.”

Though he values his career, his men and his ship, the captain is hoping for a change in duty, such as is happening for some of his contemporaries. Being closer to his family at this point in his career is paramount. He gets his wish, but not quite in the way he would have hoped, as we know.

Stay tuned for more of the actions leading up to the events of July 1943.

Tammi

One of the neatest things I've discovered in reading through Gus Wellings' letters is pulling names of various people that were his friends during his time serving in the south Pacific, and then finding these names in published books.  One name that stands out is that of Captain Gelzer Loyall Sims of the USS Maury DD-401.  In the letter excerpt below, Wellings discusses a wonderful meeting of Sims as they come up alongside then in port on March 18th of 1943:

"Guess what?? The other day I noticed as we  steamed into port that Gelzer Sims' destroyer was at anchor.  I immediately sent
a message (1000) and asked Gelzer over for lunch.  He arrived at 1030 and talked until 1500 when I had to go to a conference – this included all during meal  time.  He is the same old Gelzer and his old and new stories are gems.  He kept all my wardroom officers spellbound all during lunch.  He has been out here from the beginning – as he said he arrived here in the Mayflower –it has seemed that long since he has been home.  He reports all well with Sue and the family.  He really looks fine – but says he would not turn down an offer for a few days rest.  Notice the improved ink– my yeoman just cleaned and refilled my pen."

South Pacific Destroyer was written by a man who served aboard the Maury, Russell Sydnor Crenshaw, Jr.  In the book, Crenshaw gives intimate daily details of the people who served on the destroyer class ships in the south Pacific and there are serveral references to Strong, to Wellings and other officers as well.  Reading a book such as this gives a person insight into the day to day operations, trials and tribulations and the sometimes raucous times during their time of service in the Solomon Islands and beyond.  I highly recommend it as a book that will take you back to the time of our relatives when they were in a position to change the world. 

Reference to this book can be found on my Navy Links and Resource page. 

Tammi

Reminder:  J.H. Wellings and USS Strong DD 467 were part of DESRON 21 at the time she was lost.  Here the mystery begins.

     Back when I first made contact with Anne, daughter of Gus Wellings, she told me about a flag that she believed her father rescued from the Strong as it was sinking.  She had held on to the flag for personal reasons, even though the bulk of his collection of personal items and documents is at the Naval War College in the library and museum archives there.   Until recently, I had not seen the flag and assumed it was either an American flag or something indicating it came from Strong itself.  A couple of weeks ago, Anne sent a photo of the flag and it came with a mystery. 

As you see in the image above, the flag has a large number “2” on it.  Strange, but I couldn't see how this flag was connected to the ship.  When I have questions about things such as this, I turn to Dave McComb of the Destroyer History Foundation (see links page) for answers.  And as usual, Dave had came through with a little more information than we had before.  I sent the photo image to Dave, and his explanation was thus:

“Tammi,

It’s a “broad command pennant”—one that a squadron commander’s flagship would fly from the masthead of any ship in which he was embarked (in place of the ship’s own commissioning pennant) (see

       http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vxt-dvb4.html#broadcommandpennant and

       http://navyaviation.tpub.com/14243/css/14243_199.htm) .

I see two questions here:

1.       When Strong went down, why would then-Commander Wellings have had in his possession a broad command pennant from Destroyer Squadron 2? Whatever the reason, we understandably attached great importance to it.
2.       Why is the number stitched on the opposite side of the pennant than what one usually sees?”

So now we know it's a command pennant, but for DESRON 2.  Thus a new mystery – what connection does Wellings have to DESRON 2?  Strong was part of DESRON 21, so where does this flag fit in?  I decided to do a Google search using the term “J.H. Wellings and DESRON 2”, and bingo!  I love Google.  I've solved more mysteries using Google.  And Google gave me this link.  Read the story for more detail:

http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/index.asp?r=41700&pid=41710

In short, after rehabilitation and rest from his ordeal with Strong, Wellings was sent back to the south Pacific, something I was not aware of until now.  During the later part of 1944, he was given command temporarily of DESRON 2, as stated here:

“More than a month passed before the next move was made against the enemy in this theater, but on 15 September, Morris escorted ships up the coast to Morotai Island and rendered close fire support in this operation. Commanding the Morris was Commander R.V. Wheeler, Jr., U.S. Navy, who relieved Commander G.L. Caswell. Captain J.H. Wellings, U.S. Navy, was now commander DesRon Two.”

To read more about DESRON 2 and it's operations in New Guinea, refer to the link above.  This narrative solves the mystery of the flag with the big number 2.  The flag never was on Strong, but something he saved from the USS Morris and his time in command of another destroyer squadron.  Now Anne has answers to questions she didn't realize needed answers.

Many thanks to Dave McComb and Google!

-Tammi

     I've been lucky to have had a few Strong family members find the web site when they became interested in the time their loved one spent at sea, or in researching how they either died or survived the sinking of Strong.  Just recently the family of George Vedder Ill (ILL) contacted me after their mother, George's sister, died.  His niece Ann W. wanted to see what information was out there and found my website, then sent this message from the contact form:

“Hi, I just came across this site. My mother was the youngest sister of George Vedder Ill, who died July 4-5 1943 on the Strong at the age of 22. Sadly my mom passed away last June and never got a chance to see all of this information. She would have been grateful.”

     I contacted Ann and am thrilled to have her on board.  She in turn shared the web site and my contact info with other members of her family, so I next heard from one of her cousins, Diane T.  Diane wrote sharing a bit of history on young George:

“Hello.  
     I am a niece of George R. Vedder Ill (ILL).  He was my mother's brother and one of the 46 who did not survive when the Strong went down in the Kula Gulf.  I have newspaper clippings from the local papers about his death (what little they really knew at the time) that I could copy and send you, along with other photos (this she did, and I now have this information).
     Also here is a brief overview of his life.  His father and mother, George Curtis and Rose Kreul Vedder, had three children - Mildred, Kathleen, and George (Junior, as they called him) - all born in Emmetsburg, Iowa.  When Rose and a fourth sibling died in childbirth, the girls went to live with their Grandmother Mary Williams Vedder and George Raymond was adopted by Vera Ill, a relative of Rose, and her husband and lived with them on a farm in Minnesota.  George Curtis Vedder subsequently remarried and had three more children with Kathryn van der Stoep Vedder.  That blended family stayed in close contact over the years, and - despite the difficulty of traveling back then - went to visit George Junior on the Ill farm when they could.  Before graduating from high school, his half-brother Frank Vedder also joined the Navy (he went back and got his diploma after the war) and served on three different ships, including two destroyers and the hospital ship Benevolence (about which I have not been able to find info).  His other half-brother Verlyn Vedder was with the Army's 1st Platoon that went into Korea in the immediate aftermath of WWII, well before the Korean War officially started.
     Do you know if those who went down with the Strong are remembered anywhere at the memorial to the Pacific war dead on Oahu?  My sister was there a few years ago, and she couldn't find him listed under either Vedder or Ill.”  

     Basically, in helping Diane and Ann I learned of the American Battle Monuments Commission and about the war cemetery and memorial site in The Punchbowl in Honolulu, Hawaii.  I've added links to these sites on the Navy Links & Research page.  Turns out George Vedder Ill is buried in this cemetery and my great-uncle Billy's name is memorialized on a wall there.  I'm sure more of you could search the site and find out if your lost loved one is also included on the memorial wall.  As for the list of men on Strong, I have a complete crew list on PDF and would be happy to share it with anyone who asks via email. 

     A photograph of George is now on the Memories of Strong page, along with those of other shipmates.  In this instance, I was not only able to provide information but learned a couple of new things myself.  So thank you family of George Vedder Ill, and here's to more discoveries to come!

-Tammi

*Photo below added 2/01/2018, taken by Natalie Schleusner Mallak at the Punchbowl on Oahu.