It’s time to talk a bit about our own Captain Joseph Harold Wellings. I’ve been procrastinating on this one for a couple reasons – it’s the easiest to write because I know more about this man as a person, and the hardest to write for the very same reason. Getting an email recently from his daughter Anne kind of kicked me back into gear. Instead of doing a chronology of his military achievements as I did for the first two brothers, this will be more personal. His history is more skillfully chronicled than I could ever do in an introduction done by John B. Hattendorf, the director of the Naval War College Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, in the front of the book titled “On His Majesty’s Service”, a compilation of letters, diary entries and official documents from the time Wellings spent with the British Royal Navy in 1940-1941. A copy of this book in its entirety in PDF format is available on my Navy Links and Research page, or you can contact the museum for a hard copy. Their address and contact information is also linked on this page of my site. It’s very interesting reading, especially the middle part of the book detailing his time with the crew of the HMS Hood, Britain’s most famous battleship of the time, sunk by the German battleship Bismarck on May 24th, 1941. Wellings was on board the HMS Rodney, one of the key ships that brought Bismarck down just 3 days after sinking Hood. The radio transmission transcripts on this event as detailed in the book are riveting.  A few documentaries on this subject can be found on-line, many are on YouTube, a couple of them by our own David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries, LTD.

He was born on April 23rd, 1903. For the purposes of this blog, the captain will be “Harold”, as he was called by his wife Dolly, or Dorothea. Getting back to our Harold, I was privileged to get access to his personal and military archives at the Naval War College back in 2012. I brought home a plethora of letter copies, letters he wrote home to his wife and child, and a few that had been written to him by family members who wanted to know the fate of their boys after the sinking of Strong.  From these letters, I developed my impression on his character as a man: as a husband, a father, a leader and captain.

Without fail, every one of his letters to his wife began with an endearment such as “sweetheart”, “my darling” or “dearest one”. Harold and Dorothea Bertelsen were married on January 23, 1937 in Boston. He wrote her several letters a week, sometimes two a day depending on what was happening in his world at any given time. He was a man completely devoted to his wife, while at the same time working hard to maintain and advance his career in the Navy.  I only collected letter copies from his time on Strong because my research is focused on that time of his life. More of these letters are excerpted in the book mentioned above. You see the same patterns of endearments, of longing, of missing her companionship, conversation and longing for her in more intimate ways that made me more than a little embarrassed and feeling a bit like a voyeur. This was heartwarming though, as many times time and distance can damage a relationship. With Harold, it only strengthened the depth of his love and devotion. He would close just as romantically, with “Your everything”, “Yours forever” and “Your own”.  He would make arrangements to have flowers delivered to her on special occasions and often sent home gifts such as beaded necklaces from the islands of the South Pacific. A man after my own heart.

As a father, he missed his little girl. Most of his letters included an “aside to Anne”, with a special note to her, sometimes asking about her time in school, sending pictures he cut from a Life magazine and daddy hugs and kisses. Anne had to have her tonsils out at age 4, and he wrote to make sure she got through her surgery okay and knew that he was thinking of her. One letter with an airplane was hand drawn by his second in command, Fred Purdy. On the edge of another letter page, was drawn a fancy car picture with the family drawn in for Anne to see. Another letter with a P.S. has him referring to himself as “Daddy Boom”. I had the chance to ask Anne about that when I met her in 2013 and if memory serves, it was because he was on a big ship that went “boom” on occasion. He would encourage her to write letters to send, as he loved hearing from her as well. During this time she went from 4 to 5 years of age, so it’s likely she had help in the writing. Unfortunately, I did not look for any copies of her letters.

As a leader and captain, he was unparalleled. I’m sure the man had his faults in all areas, however the predominant feeling from everything I’ve read is that he ran a grand ship. He was well respected and even loved by his men and the officers serving under him. When the ship sank, months later while he was recuperating in a hospital, he was personally responding to family members who wrote to him asking about the fate of their men who were still missing. He could have put out a form letter, he got so many. But he didn’t, and I have a letter copy to my family that shows the depth of his commitment to the ship and the lost men. His youngest brother Al was stationed in Espiritu Santo and other areas of the Pacific in the battle zone. As Harold lay recuperating, his brother Al was able to come be with him and keep him entertained. In April of 1943, Harold came down with a flu bug on board ship. At the time they were in port in Espiritu Santo, and while napping one day, he got a knock on his door. Brother Al came by for a visit. Al and Harold spent that day eating ice cream and watching movies. Thanks to Anne for reminding me of this and allowing me to share the story!

Harold returned to the Pacific a year or so after the sinking of Strong, and once again was a commander including a stint as the head of DESRON 2 for a while. Years later he had a career as the head man leading the Naval War College. He suffered a stroke in 1963 which ended his military career.  The good captain died on March 28th, 1988 in Newport, Rhode Island where he retired with his beloved Dolly. He was buried with his brothers in Arlington National Cemetery.

So to sum up, I could see myself really enjoying a good sit down with this man, sharing a good wine or whiskey and hearing stories of glory days. I so wish I’d had the knowledge that he was still around sooner, it would have been incredible to have contacted him. I’m so lucky to have so many other folks who have given me their time and their stories. Thank you all.

The next and last Wellings brother Al, well he’s going to get his turn soon. 

And while I'm thinking of it, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!!!

-Tammi

Hail, hail, the gang's all here!  We even got a new/old guy, Rocky Britton. Rocky is here with his daughter Darlene and son-in-law. He and Jim Merriman are having a good time talking about the past. Today was a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield and Visitor's Center. I've included just a few shots of the diorama and a group shot of the guys from the bus. 

Tomorrow is a free day for exploring on our own, and Friday is Hershey, Pennsylvania and the chocolate factory!  We get to stop in Amish country on the way back to do some shopping. Looking forward to that!

The nephew of Grady Lee Nelson, Jr., Mike Pauling contacted me back in January with information about his uncle.  Mike found the web site and contacted me, and as I’ve done before I decided Grady needed a blog post so others could learn about him.  Let me introduce you to Grady Lee Nelson of Coleman, Texas.

Grady was born January 23rd, 1922.  He enlisted in the Navy in May 1941.  Prior to surviving the sinking of STRONG and going on to have an illustrious 30 year Naval career, Grady was on board the USS ARIZONA BB-39 in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.  He was topside and had the responsibility of setting up chairs and preparing for a church service on that Sunday morning. Grady was not the only Nelson on board.  He lost four relatives, an uncle and 3 cousins that day.  Family members on board ARIZONA with Grady were Harl Coplin Nelson, S1C from Arkansas; Henry Clarence Nelson, BM1c from Minnesota; Lawrence Adolphus Nelson, CTCP from California; Richard Eugene Nelson, F3c from North Dakota.  Grady survived because he was able to dive off the side as the ship sank.   The commander of the ARIZONA was Captain Isaac Kidd who died during the attack.  The USS KIDD DD-661, the Fletcher-class destroyer currently docked in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a museum ship is named for Captain Kidd.

Grady entered service with the USS STRONG DD-467 as a plank owner in May of 1942 with the rank of GM2c, a gunner’s mate.  After the ship was torpedoed, Grady was one of the men rescued by the USS CHEVALIER DD-451, and lucky to be on the list of unwounded sailors.  Though unwounded, Grady never spoke of his experience on STRONG to any family members and no known accounts of his story exist.  I’ve found this is not unusual, and since he had already been through the ordeal at Pearl Harbor, it’s no wonder he kept his thoughts and emotions to himself.  Being a plankowner, Grady and others like him had more of a personal and emotional investment in the ship than most.   

These events didn’t keep him from returning to the sea. After STRONG, he was assigned to another new destroyer, the USS ALBERT W. GRANT DD-649.  GRANT was attacked by the Japanese in October 1944 during the first invasion of the Philippines toward the end of the war.  She took 22 hits and was severely damaged.  Casualties included 38 men killed and 104 wounded, but she was able to stay afloat.  GRANT underwent repair and Grady was with her until February 1945, when he left to go stateside from Mare Island, California.

After serving as gunner’s mate on other ships, he was tasked to teach small arms at the Naval Reserve Training Center in Boston, Massachusetts.  He completed several courses in Navy school including Gunner’s Mate (to train others) and Electric Hydraulic School, 8”/55 Caliber Rapid Fire Turret training; 5”/54 Caliber gun training; Electrical, Electronics & Hydraulic School; ASROC Launcher and Instructor and Leadership School.  He received a commission from Chief Gunner’s Mate to LT. Junior Grade in May 1961.  After training at Limited Duty Officers School in Newport, Rhode Island (not part of the Naval War College located close by), was assigned to the staff of the Officers Candidate School as weapons instructor.   In July 1963 he was assigned to USS BOSTON CAG-1 (Baltimore class heavy cruiser) as Missile Ordnance Gunner performing Weapons training, and was there until September 1965.  Later, he was assigned to Fleet Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island as Weapons Training Officer.  He retired as a much decorated officer after a long and distinguished career in the Navy. 

Grady died October 20th, 1993.  In December of 1993, Grady was laid to rest in the wreck of the USS ARIZONA at Pearl Harbor with his uncle, cousins and other shipmates.  If you would like to read the entire article on the memorial service, here is the link: http://chaplaincorps.navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/12/31/interments-for-pearl-harbor-veterans-and-burials-at-sea-a-sacred-privilege-and-naval-tradition/

On a couple of personal notes, Mike tells me Grady is responsible for him being here.  While in training, Grady introduced one of his promising students to his daughter Ellen Nelson.  They married and started a family, resulting in Mike.  Thanks Mike, for sharing.  In addition, Mike wanted me to know that in general Grady never held a grudge for the Japanese people.  Over the years persons of Japanese descent married into the Nelson family.  One of these men in particular was with his family in an internment camp in California during WW2.  This camp, Manzanar National Historic Site is now a park and the gentleman is the director of the park. 

Thank you Mike and Ellen for providing me with the biography and other information on Grady.  I appreciate being able to share these men with others and to learn about them myself.  See the article below for more on his experiences at Pearl Harbor.

Tammi

I'm finally able to post this obituary for Dr. Henry and Page Laughlin who passed within 24 hours of one another.  I had a little personal setback last week (broke my ankle, required surgery), or it would have been posted on time.  As it is, he was a remarkable man and his memory should be shared with the other STRONG families.  Let me know if you'd like to contact the Laughlin family directly to express condolences. 

Thank you Connie, and the rest of the Laughlin family for sharing: 

Hank & Page Laughlin

Hank Laughlin died peacefully at age 98 on January 29, 2015, and Page Laughlin, his wife of 73 years, died the next day.  They met in Stone harbor, NJ, where Hank was a life guard and while he was a medical student.  Page was spending her vacation at her parents’ summer home and was a teenager studying at the Philadelphia College of Art.  After graduating from Temple Medical School, Hank became a ship’s doctor aboard the USS Strong in the Pacific Theater during WW II, while Page remained in Oakland, CA, and raised Connie, John and Robert, their first three children.  After the war ended, they moved to Montgomery County, MD, where Hank practiced psychiatry and Page took care of their five children, who now included Barbara and Deborah.  Hank and Page moved to Frederick County in 1962.

Their lives and accomplishments were extraordinary.  Hank was a founding member of several honorary medical organizations, authored four medical textbooks, and is the only physician to be the president of both the Montgomery County and Frederick County Medical Societies.  He was an excellent marksman, competing in the Lander, WY, one-shot antelope hunt for more than 20 years.  His stamp collection numbered more than 700 volumes.  Hank was president of the Maryland Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and was an active member of the Rotary Club of Frederick and the morning Frederick Coffee Club.  Page was an avid genealogist and an accomplished seamstress and machine knitter. She was a member of MENSA, the DAR, the Daughters of Founders and Patriots and the Mayflower Society.  Unlike Hank, Page loved new technology.  Hank and Page shared a strong belief in the value of education and were supporters of Hood College, Mount St. Mary’s University and Frederick Community College, as well as their alma maters.

Hank and Page are survived by five children: Connie Kuhn and husband Cliff of Louisville, John Laughlin and wife Diane of Frederick, Robert Laughlin and wife Abby of Frederick, Barbara Galant and husband Luke of Frederick, and Deborah Moss and husband Lee of Salt Lake City.  They were fortunate to have eighteen grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren.

A Memorial Service celebrating their lives will be held in the spring.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a gift in their name may be made to Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA.

-Tammi

Every now and again I get an email from one of you who have made a wonderful discovery.  Sometimes you’re digging in a closet and find an old box or you visit a storage unit and end up locating something you’d forgotten your family member even had.  Such a discovery was shared with me recently by the family of Dr. Henry Laughlin, the first medical officer on board STRONG who exited the ship the first of May, 1943.  The sailors were not supposed to have their own cameras or to take photos or video.  The military hired professional journalists (such as Duncan Norton-Taylor or Allan Jackson from previous blogs) who were approved to take photographs or video for recording the actions of various branches during war time.  But, there were a few folks such as Dr. Laughlin who managed to fudge the rules.  The second doctor on board, Dr. Albert Horne even brought a video camera and taped activities on board the ship.  These however, are forever entombed with the ship in the bottom of the Kula Gulf.  I’m happy to have the photos that made it off the ship.  This means there are some interesting and first time ever photographs of their actions and whereabouts to share.  Of these photos, there are a few I have been able to corroborate with the war diaries and verify the actual location of the ship and some of the action occurring when the photos were taken. 

The photos in the gallery below are of Dr. Laughlin himself, a group of medical professionals together at Treasure Island in June of 1945 just prior to the end of the war (a tropical medical program off the coast of California), STRONG on the way to Africa on the shakedown cruise in the fall of 1942, a destroyer in the distance at Espiritu Santos March of 1943 (possibly STRONG, hard to read the hull numbers) and a refueling event in March of 1943 in the Coral Sea.   Of the photos, two were easy to investigate. 

The Coral Sea refueling actually did take place on March 17th, 1943 as STRONG was engaged in actions with Task Force 18.6 and DESRON 21.  The refueling ship was the USS KANKAKEE.  What I love about this shot is Captain Wellings on the left foreground and the crew of the KANKAKEE can be seen on the deck hard at work.  They refueled between 12:00 and 16:00 hours:

“17 March 1943: Steaming as before.  1315 Commenced maneuvering at various courses and speeds to make approach for fueling.  1346 Received tow line from USS KANKAKEE.  1351 Commenced fueling forward.  1354 Commenced fueling aft.  1435 Completed fueling forward.  1446 Completed fueling aft.  Received 117,542 gallons at 86 degs. F. 1451 Cast off all connections to tanker.  Commenced maneuvering at various courses and speeds to assume patrolling station #4.  1519 on station, commenced patrolling at 13 knots.”

One shows a destroyer in the background skirting the coast of an island.  The family reported the photo as off the coast of Tulagi Island on March 7th, 1943.  When I searched the war diary for this date it happens that they were moored on and patrolling around Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides:

“2nd March 1943: Steaming on various courses at 16 knots, standard speed 16 knots.  Patrolling eastward entrance to Espiritu Santo Harbor.  Task George A/S patrol.  Boilers #2 and #3 in use.  Condition of readiness TWO and Material condition Baker set.”

There’s nearly 700 miles distance from Tulagi to Espiritu Santo, so it’s unlikely they made the trip over night.

It’s amazing to have the documents that provide easy and ready answers to corroborate and verify the things that come to me.  There are some of you I have shared this information with through Dropbox, and if any of you are interested in seeing the war diaries or other documents, email me or send a note via the Contact page on the web site.  I prefer to share with family members only at this point, however if you are a researcher in need of information then we can discuss the sharing.  I feel a need to protect this data, so distribution at this point is conditional. 

As always, any of you that have photos or information to share I welcome that.  Others within the group get a kick out of seeing what you find and it encourages them to dig a little deeper.  No way can I put a value on the benefits of this information.  It’s priceless.  So thank you Connie and Barbara!!!

-Tammi

Anytime you embark on a journey you must adapt to the road, so to speak. Things happen, people cross your path that can alter the journey and sometimes change the focus. As I began this project to honor my great-uncle Billy, in the beginning it was all about him. I wanted people to know him as a person who had so much to look forward to, so much potential that was lost when STRONG went down. This focus enabled me to learn much about him that I would have never known, as it brought me into contact with family members I had never met before, but whose help I needed if I were to obtain information. What I learned was priceless, and I wouldn't trade meeting these people for anything.

The road also brought me family members of other STRONG men. Building the web site in 2012 was absolutely the best move I have made on this road, and in this journey. So many people have found me while researching their father, grandfather, uncle or whatever these men were to them. I'm constantly amazed at this. The sharing of information warms me to no end. Every family has a story or two, and the fact that they share them with me nearly leaves me speechless. That's not easy, just ask my family.

I got another hit from a new family member this week past, the daughter of Roy Edwin Smith, CMC (chief machinists mate). Roy survived, having been picked up by the Chevalier. At the time he was listed as “unwounded”, but as every man who made it can tell you there were issues below the skin that were as devastating as those seen in broken limbs and wounds that produce visible scars. Roy's daughter Carol tells me a bit about his life after STRONG, and her family's efforts to learn about him:

“I am the daughter of CMC (Retired) Roy E. Smith, who served on the USS Strong 467 from 5-29-1942 thru 7-1943. He was on the ship when it was scuttled in the Solomon Islands, after being torpedoed by the Japanese. My Father was retired on a medical disability within one year after returning from the incident in the Solomon Islands. He died in 1966. I didn't get to grow up with my Dad due to the death of my Mother when I was very young. My Father sent us to live with his brother and although I saw my Dad from time to time, I really knew very little about him. Thanks to the Dept. of Military Personnel Records, I was able to obtain my Dad's personnel records and thus began a journey of really getting to know my Dad and his 20 year career in the Navy. My Father never spoke a great deal about the sinking of the USS Strong. I was delighted to be able to learn more about this moment in his life through his records. It was a truly significant event in my Father's life that I can now share with my children and grandchildren, none of whom ever met him.

I would like to add my Father's name to the USS Strong DD467 Family tribute. I am grateful that you have set up this site for folks like me to turn to in order to learn more about the USS Strong 467 and her gallant crew. My daughter is an avid scuba diver and I know we will watch with great interest to see if the USS Strong can be located. 

Thank you again for the opportunity to share my feelings about this great ship and be able to expand my knowledge about it. I am adding your website information to a scrap book that I have put together for my family about the USS Strong and my father's time on board.

Sincerely yours,
Carol (Smith)”

Roy was a plank owner, on the ship before commissioning and to the end. I so look forward to learning more about him, and to helping his family get to know their father, grandfather and great-grandfather. And as always, any stories, letters or photographs you may like to share about your STRONG man would be appreciated and possibly the focus of a future blog. Also, Stephen Harding is well into the book about STRONG, but is always willing to learn new things that may add to the story.

The reunion in Groton, Connecticut is about 3 weeks away. I've learned that another man who survived STRONG will attend, someone who has never attended a reunion before. I look forward to meeting Donald Fawcett and his family, and to introducing him to Jim Merriman. Jim is the only survivor to attend every year. These men haven't been in the same place together for 71 years. It will be amazing.

And to Carol and others, it's my pleasure.

-Tammi

In a recent blog, I mentioned that I’ve had these “I can’t make this stuff up” coincidences.  Shortly after writing that blog, I had another.  These things just render me speechless, and believe me that’s not easy to do.  So here’s the story, and some additional information.

I got an email from a man whose uncle was on Strong.  David Bailey sent me a note about his uncle, Norman Britt Carpenter, who survived the sinking.  Over the years, Uncle Norman told David many stories and David ended up sharing them with me.  One such story was the memory Norman had of one of the ship’s doctors taking home movies on the ship with a 16mm movie camera.  That set me on the path to locate the two doctors who served on Strong, Dr. Henry P. Laughlin (plank owner to May 1943), and Dr. Albert M. Horne (April – sinking in July, 1943).  I was excited about the possibility of there being film taken on board the ship that made it past censors.  It didn’t take long to track down Dr. Laughlin’s family, and it turns out that Dr. Laughlin is still alive, 97 years old and frail but he was willing to answer a couple of questions.  We found out he was not the one who shot film, so that left Dr. Horne.  He was on board the ship for a short time, and the likelihood of any film being sent home prior to the sinking of the ship was miniscule.  It was worth a shot however, to try to locate his family.  I had found and downloaded his obituary as Dr. Horne died in 1997.  The obit listed the names of his children and their cities of residence, so it was some place to start.  I had every intention of finding time soon to begin searching for contact information.  A few days later, I get up and open up my email that’s specifically attached to the contact page on the web site, and out of the blue I get this, from a Russell Horne: 

“I have a photo of my father if you are interested. He was the Medical Office on the Strong. I don't know his exact dates of assignment. Those can probably be obtained somewhere. I am new at this so I am sure I will learn these things as I move forward with this research. He was on the Strong when it sunk in the Kula gulf. Anyway, if you are interested in a pic, please let me know where to email it.

Russell”

 Thus, the speechless part.  Even more interesting, after a couple of email exchanges it seems that Dr. Horne always had a camera in hand taking film of whatever was going on around him.  I found my movie making doctor!  At present, his family is searching through the things he left behind and have not been able to locate any film he may have shot on Strong.  It’s most likely the camera he took with him and any film are indeed at the bottom of the Kula Gulf.  However, there have been other things to learn from this family.  Before I get to that, let me briefly introduce you to Albert Horne.  From his obituary from March of 1997:

“Dr. Albert Merrill Horne, 86, died peacefully at his home, March 22, 1997, after a prolonged illness. Born September 11, 1910 in Salt Lake City, he was the youngest of six children of George Henry Horne and Alice Smith Merrill Horne. He married Laura Callis November 12, 1940 in Salt Lake City. As a teenager, Albert worked summers on the Nevada and Colorado ranches of his brother-in-law and older sister, Leo and Mary Horne Winder. He graduated from East High School where he was in ROTC.After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Utah, he attended medical school at the U. of U. for two years. He graduated from George Washington University Medical School after 2 further years of medical study. He did post graduate medical training at Cornell /New York University Medical Center. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was the medical officer aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Strong and was among the survivors when in July 1943, that ship was sunk in a nighttime naval battle near Guadalcanal. Subsequently, he was assigned to the Seabees and was on Okinawa when the war ended. After the war, he completed a residency in Radiology in Dallas, Texas. Following that, he practiced in Lubbock, Texas and then in Midland, Texas until his retirement in 1980. He was a member of the AMA, Texas Medical Association, and the American College of Radiology. He belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving faithfully in various positions as stake missionary, branch president and a district high councilor. Albert was a remarkably kind and gentle man who thought of others before himself. He is survived by his wife, Laura; their five children: Merrill (Deborah), Salt Lake City; Steven (Susan), Orem, Utah; Charlotte (David) Williams, Salt Lake City; Russell (Susan), Lubbock, Texas; Daniel (Kristine), Dallas, Texas; nineteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Also survived by his sister Zorah Horne Jeppson of Salt Lake City.”

A couple of emails later, Russell had this to tell me:

“As a medical officer, our father had other assignments as there were not always wounded or sick people to care for and sometimes medical officers had nothing to do.  His other assignment was to help the communications officers on board to intercept and to decode enemy communications.  When the Strong was hit, he was below deck, and he and the other communications officers were busy destroying all of their material (which included decoded enemy communications, etc).   As the ship took more enemy fire and began to list, our father was called up on deck to help with the wounded.  Very soon, thereafter was when the Strong was rammed by the Chevalier and our father was able to make it to that ship.  All the communications officers that our father was helping remained below deck and they were killed as they went down with the ship.

Tammi.  I am not sure as to the complete accuracy of this story and my brother, Merrill is the one who was told the story by our mother or our father.  If it is accurate, it is possible that our father was one of the last people to see and/or speak with William Hedrick.”

According to a newspaper interview with Dr. Horne that was published upon his return home, he mentions the lieutenant he was working with in the communications area, and helping to destroy the documents and equipment – that would have been Lt. Benjamin Frazier Jetton, Billy’s superior officer and yes, that meant he was one of the last people to see Billy alive.  This is strangely comforting to know. 

I look forward to learning more from the Horne family, and hold out hope that perhaps there might be a small piece of film from the ship that made it home before the sinking.  Either way, I’m very happy to have another Strong family on board.

  Tammi

 

It was 70 years ago that the fate of 324 men assigned to the USS Strong DD 467 changed forever.  These 324 men, give or take a few who were aboard, but who didn't make it onto the crew roster (Mr. Merriman, we salute you),  cruised into the Kula Gulf of the Solomon Islands on the evening of July 4th as part of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, Task Group 36.1 which consisted of 4 destroyers -Nicholas, O'Bannon, Chevalier and Strong- and 3 light cruisers carrying troops -Helena, Honolulu, and St. Louis.  There were other destroyer escorts and screeners, but this was the core of our group sent in there to bomb Bairoko Harbor and sites on Kolombangara Island to draw the Japanese away from the Rice Anchorage area so allied troops could be off-loaded.  
 
At the same time our guys were bombing their targets, 4 Japanese destroyers were moving into the gulf  - the Nagatsuki, Satsuki, Yunagi and Niizuki (the ship credited for sinking Strong).  Two of the ships broke formation
and steered toward the coast of Kolombangara Island.  Having detected allied ships in the area, three of the four ships fired off an array of 14 Long Lance torpedos from over 11 nautical miles away, turned tail and headed back
north and out of the Kula Gulf.  In the meantime just after midnight on July 5th, Strong had just completed its bombing run on Bairoko Harbor and had turned back north, parallel to the coast of New Georgia and the landing site at Rice Anchorage.  Men on the bridge watched in horror as the wake of a torpedo became evident, and with seconds to act there was no time to take evasive action – and fate took over.  The families of 46 men were to begin a grieving process while the families of the other survivors were to begin the process of helping their fathers, brothers, and husbands heal from what was probably the most terrifying event of their lives.  Many would never fully recover and deal with trauma and the effects of what was then called “shell shock” or “battle fatigue”, what we now diagnose as PTSD.   And because I have befriended a few of these families over the years, I wanted to include their reflections in this blog.  After putting out a request, three family members responded with the stories they were told as children, of two of the men who served as officers on Strong, O. Milton Hackett, Ensign USNR, Torpedo Officer and the captain of this well loved and respected ship, Joseph Harold Wellings, LCDR, USN, Commanding Officer.

First, Wendy Hackett Jalbert, daughter of Milt Hackett:

 “Our dad, O M Hackett, was a US Naval officer aboard the Strong from the start of the war through its sinking.  The night it went down he rescued many others from the oily waters to floats/boats/nets.  After being in the water about 12 hours, he decided they should swim to shore to get help.  Many of the men were unable to do this due to injury.  After about three days those that made it to shore ran into some natives who brought them to the US Marines.  While on the island they lived on coconut milk and eggs from the chickens that ran loose on the island.  By the time Dad arrived safely back in the US his family had been informed he was missing and believed he was dead.  After a brief furlough in Washington state, he was reassigned to another destroyer being commissioned in Boston.  It was on this ship that he met our mother who was the lead singer with the USO troop.  He traveled again to the Pacific and was present at Iwo Jima among many other famous battles.  His was the fourth ship to travel into Tokyo harbor at the Japanese surrender, and he watched the ceremony from the deck.

 Our parents are still living in the Washington DC area.  Dad attends as many of the Strong reunions when possible.”

 In seeing Wendy’s account, I am awed by the fact that something wonderful came from Milt’s experiences following the sinking.  He met the woman he eventually married and raised a family with while readying to once again go to sea.  And, he had the privilege of being present at the end, and seeing that the sacrifices made by his former shipmates were not in vain.

The daughter of Captain J.H. (Gus) Wellings, Anne, also has recollections of the story her father told her as a young girl:

 “As to the sinking of the Strong:  I remember my father saying that he
was covered with oil on a floater net with his or one of his firemen. It was pitch dark and they were waiting and waiting when there was a ship directly in front of them.  The fireman signaled with his light and someone screamed down "turn the----thing off or we'll have the Japanese navy on top of us!"   He, daddy, had to be carried up the rope ladder on the shoulders of the fireman. (Wellings was rescued by the USS Gwin hours after the sinking)  No strength.  I gathered too that some Admiral (friend of my father's) said to whomever "we have to send a ship in to try and find Gus-- one more time before it gets light."  When Daddy woke up he was on an island in a tented hospital and the wife of one of his best friend's who became a Red Cross nurse was at this side !!!  (Her name was Meda Edwards, this information from a letter written home on July 16th to his wife Dolly)

 

I also remember the days of rehabilitation he went thru at the Boston Navy  hospital.  And then he went back out again and mother and I saw the ships leaving from Old Point Comfort in Virginia.  A lovely long line of them going out heading south for the canal.  My mother said I should remember that and you see, I have !”

Gus Wellings ended up back in the Pacific, and the commander of DESRON 2 on the USS Morris in New Guinea.  So we see that many of these men elected to return to duty to “finish what we started”.  Their attention to duty, dedication to the cause, to home and family is what reaches out to us after their days of service are long gone.  The ones who survived came home to rebuild this country into something worth continuing to fight for.  We are so blessed to have a military strong enough to continue this mission, and the supportive families and friends here at home to keep things on track.  

There is much more to these stories, more accounts than I can mention, but I have it all on paper.  Anyone interested in a copy of the Strong documents including action reports, survivor accounts, copies of newspaper clippings and
such, send me a message or an email.  The action report for the incident is on the Memories of Strong page in JPEG form, feel free to download the document. 
 
On July 5th, don’t forget to take a few moments to reflect, cry if you need to, or smile because there was something to celebrate about the day – just remember.  That’s all they ask.  That we remember.
 
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. 

Sadly I report the loss of another Strong sailor, William James Stancill, native of Pitt County, North Carolina.  Mr. Stancill departed on New Year's Eve after a long and productive life.   He is survived by his: wife of 66 years, Louise Sumerlin Stancill;
daughters, Gayle Stancill, of the home and Maxine Stancill Edwards and husband, Kelly, of Winterville; sons, William Jennings Stancill and wife, Nancy and A.J. Stancill and wife, Sherry, all of Greenville; grandchildren, Edwin Stancill and wife, Crystal, of Emeral Isle, Jennifer Stancill McKeel, and Wendy Stancill Gaskins, all of Greenville, and Alan Stancill and wife, Carole, of Roanoke, VA; great-grandchildren, Dylan Stancill, Jonathan R. Stancill, all of Greenville, Deanna Stancill, of Emerald Isle, Bryce McKeel, Joshua McKeel, Paige McKeel and Abby Gaskins, all of Greenville, Jonathan K. Stancill and Elizabeth Stancill, of Roanoke, VA; sister, Nora Stancill Sutton, of Greenville; and a niece, Marlene Sutton Dory and husband, Bill, of Greenville.  Click on the link here to read the entire obituary: http://www.wilkersonfuneralhome.com/new_view.php?id=1969345 (Photo from Wilkerson Funeral Home site)

Just before the holidays I heard from Mr. Stancill's daughter, Maxine Stancill Edwards.  At the time her father was in ill health.  After responding to her, it wasn't until today that I heard back from her and she shared her news.  If anyone would like to send condolences you can follow the information on the obituary link, or I can hook you up with Maxine if you contact me directly.  There are a couple of photos of him as a young man in the Navy that will be posted to the Memories of Strong page.  Another shipmate lost, but he lives on in the hearts of his family and here on the web site.  As long as we talk about them, as long as we remember them, they are never really gone.  That's the way I like to think about it anyway. 

Smooth sailing, Mr. Stancill.  Calm seas and clear skies to you.

Tammi