Yesterday I got an email from the daughter of a DD-467 man, Ronald Rhude. Mr. Rhude passed away on the 15th at age 96. Below is the contents of his obituary with a few edits because his service and burial have passed. If anyone would like to contact the family personally, let me know. Thank you to Kate Fontaine for keeping me informed of your Dad's passing. 

Ronald Chesley Rhude, age 96, passed away on Monday, June 15th, 2020 at home with his family by his side. Ronald was born on January 8, 1924 in Pugwash, Nova Scotia. He was the son of the late Charles and Violet (Lockhart) Rhude. Following his education, Ron joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served aboard the USS Strong (DD-467, which sunk on July 5th, 1943) and received his honorable discharge in 1945. His career began at Western Electric and later he worked as an electrician at General Electric Co., Schenectady. Later, he became an insurance consultant for Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. where he worked for a fulfilling 27 years. After retiring, he was determined to stay busy and he took up some work at Lakeside Farms in Ballston Lake for 20 years. He resided in Burnt Hills since 1963 where he raised his family and enjoyed many special times. His legacy lives on deep in his children and grandchildren as he taught them the values of hard work and commitment. Ron always had a side job going on and taught his skills to those he loved. Ron had many outdoor interests like fishing, and hunting. He enjoyed attending and vending at the local antique markets. He loved a chance at the slots and often ventured out to the casinos. Ron was a giver and he volunteered his time and dedicated himself to many organizations including the B.P.O.E. lodge and the Free Masons. To all who knew him, Ron was considered a perfectionist.

Ronald is survived by his loving wife, Marion S. Rhude; his wonderful children William (Holly) Rhude, Kathleen (James) Fontaine, Wayne (Loretta) Rhude and Doreen Brooks; and his grandchildren Chuck (Lisa) O’Neil, Kellie (David) Viddivo, Meredith Weller, Paul (Alese) Fontaine, Jenn (Adam) Frenzel , Tim (Jeannie) Fontaine, Jason Rhude, Kyle (Katie) Rhude, Lindsay (Chuck) Freeland, Kenny (Andrea) Brooks, Eliz (Jim) Jennings, and Sean Brooks.

Along with his parents, Ronald is predeceased by his brother John Rhude and sister Barbara Ireland.

Interment was with military honors at Gerald B.H Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville. Committal service at the cemetery was livestreamed via the Townley & Wheeler Funeral Home Facebook Page.

Memorial Contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors Project or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ronald Chesley Rhude please visit our Tribute Store.

Rest in peace and smooth sailing, Mr. Rhude.

​-Tammi

​The project to find STRONG DD-467 has taken me roughly 22 years. In February 2019 this finally came about thanks to my introduction to Paul Mayer of the RV Petrel by my friend David Mearns. I will forever be in their debt for their efforts and just wonderful relationships. Sadly, the ocean exploration of WW2 and other wrecks for the Petrel has come to a halt - for now. COVID 19 has caused Vulcan, Inc. to shut down operations through the rest of this year and for the moment, all of 2021. The company says that it will surely resume, but only time will tell. 

I had a conversation with Paul yesterday. One regret he has is that this came so suddenly, he and the rest of the team that has worked so closely for so many years did not get to say a proper good-bye. Some of the team has been furloughed, while Paul, Rob and a couple others will stay on to help with other projects. I'm so sad for them, but admit to being selfish in that the memorial plaque is still sitting boxed up in my den. I had hopes of putting the plaque in the water sometime in the next year. When I mentioned this to Paul, he dropped a suggestion to me that I will follow up on. No details just yet, I need to see if this will lead anywhere. In the meantime, my preference is to get this done with Petrel and the crew in the future. Time will tell how realistic that will be. 

Here is the Facebook link to the story: RV Petrel closure

For those of you not on Facebook, here's the news: 
  The impact of the COVID-19 crisis has changed the world for the long term in ways that we never could have imagined.As a result of operational challenges from the pandemic, R/V Petrel will be placed into long-term moorage and she will not be deployed for the foreseeable future. We were tasked with a monumental mission – discover, educate, and honor – and we’re hopeful we will eventually be back in service.

And for the record, I am not giving up. We're not done. I've hit many speedbumps along the road to seeing this through and this one is a monster. But if life gives you speedbumps, you find a way to go around them. I will work on that. 

Thank you Rob, Paul and the crew for all you have done for so many - and here's to seeing Petrel back on the water in the future!!!

Tammi

*A family member, Andy Hoder has some thoughts on the moorage of RV Petrel during these times:

Most of this text is from a comment I posted on Facebook, following the announcement that R/V Petrel was abruptly taken out of action for the rest of 2020 and probably/possibly through all of 2021.  No doubt many factors came to bear in making this decision, but rumors have already evolved that this turn of events was somehow a result of the demise of the ship's founder/owner, Paul Allen (billionaire co-founder of Microsoft).
 
In the three short years since R/V Petrel began its search of the Seven Seas for long lost sunken ships, this vessel has become legend for its remarkable accomplishments, not the least of which is the discovery of our beloved Fletcher-class destroyer, USS Strong DD-467.  Be that as it may...
 
COVID-19 is a global reality that has come to bear in many tragic, painful and disruptive ways. So it's not entirely surprising that even the mighty Petrel would be diminished by the crippling effects of the Pandemic. But certainly it's not the only ship that's been sidelined by these unfortunate circumstances.
 
There are fleets of cruise ships that are languishing in long term port calls with furloughed crews, and we've all read the stories of cruise ships stuck at sea because no harbor would let them dock. Given some of the exotic destinations to which the Petrel has sailed, we wouldn't want to see her crew end up on the "voyage of the damned" because every country is afraid to let the vessel touch its shores.

But certainly there must be other factors that have curtailed Petrel's operations. Museums and exhibits and public attractions of all types have experienced major hits to their revenue streams, not only because of Covid closures and loss of ticket sales, but also because of a general downturn in the economy.

Of course we don't know all the details of how the Petrel's operations are financed, or to what extent that may be a strand in her current predicament. For now all we can do is acknowledge the legacy that R/V Petrel has established and express our undying appreciation to her crew for all the wonderful discoveries she's made. In the meantime, we wait anxiously for R/V Petrel to set off on another great adventure!

-Andy Hoder

I​t’s a dry season for exploration and anyone involved in the industry. I’m a bystander at best, but I live for the exciting discoveries of the people I now call friends, such as David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries, LTD and Paul Mayer of the RV Petrel crew, Vulcan Inc. That said, David was with a group off the coast of Oman a few short years ago when they made the wonderous discovery of Vasco de Gama’s fleet and the wreck of the ship Esmeralda. Strong storms took down the Esmeralda and damaged other ships that were moored in the harbor in 1503. In 2016 these ships, their artifacts and histories were brought out of the depths and into the public eye once more. A wonderful website chock full of information, of beautiful photos and amazing videos of the discoveries as they are made is here: http://esmeraldashipwreck.com/history/

While you have the time have a look at this site and the videos. David is featured prominently as he personally made some amazing discoveries of rare and beautiful artifacts. There are also links to published articles on the find, and they can be downloaded if you so choose.

Hope all are well and that this gives you a bit of joy as you live vicariously for a few moments through the stories of the explorers themselves.Also, if any of you in the business of maritime research or exploration do have a tidbit that could be shared, I'm all ears and eyes! Any bit of shareable news is welcome. 

One other bit of news, the documents for the 2020 USS STRONG Association reunion in Dayton, Ohio in September are now available here: https://www.uss-strong.com/1reunions.htm

Not sure if we will go yet this year. A family member is very ill and a lot depends on what happens between now and September. If you would like to attend and have never been, please consider going. These people have become like family to us and we enjoy the reunion so much each year. There's much to learn from everyone there and just some really great camaraderie.

Tammi