The time of the 2022 reunion in Newport, Rhode Island has passed. Sadly, Greg and I were not able to go this year. Family health and other personal issues kept us home, and we both really missed seeing our Strong family. The 2023 reunion will be held in Huntsville, Alabama in September that year. It's drivable, more affordable and there's the US Space and Rocket Center there to visit! We took our kids there in the early 1990s, and I'm sure there's so much more to see and do at this point in time. I'm very much hoping to be there and have our family healthy so we can go.

There's some other news I'd like to share, nothing to get excited about, but I haven't been given the go ahead on that just yet. Soon, I hope. For now, any of you who were in the path of Hurricane's Fiona and Ian, I hope you weathered them well without much damage. I have family, friends and Strong family in the path of both and so far they dodged a bullet. Many were not so lucky. Take care, whatever the circumstances and be safe this season. 

​-Tammi

For a few years now, the city of Mount Sterling, Kentucky has posted banners downtown around Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. This year some cousins and myself pooled out money and ordered one for our uncle Billy killed in the Kula Gulf of the Solomon Islands in July of 1943. I'm really impressed with the quality of the banner and the sharpness of his image. Now he hangs among other esteemed and amazing young men and women who served their country with pride. Below are images of the banner. 

Tammi
​

I'm always truly happy and proud to pass along this monthly newsletter, but this one is special. James Carter, the museum volunteer who creates and puts out the letter emailed me about a week ago and told me he'd decided to include the story of Lt. Hugh Barr Miller, Jr. and add information about the project and my website! Needless to say, I was humbled and thrilled. Through this newsletter, the museum reaches people I could never reach. Since I'm still working on a way to get the plaque in the water at the wreck site of Strong, every little bit of help or promotion the project can get is helpful. It's also very nice to keep reminding the world of the sacrifices made by Miller and how the information he gathered while marooned on Kolombangara Island helped to insure the success of driving the Japanese out of the Central Solomons a month later. Lots of other really good stories included here, but I think I may print this one! See the link below!

My name is misspelled on the last page, but we can overlook that. James, thanks again!

April edition: South Pacific WW2 Museum Newsletter

​

              “Getting old isn’t for sissies.” - Ralph E. Burton

    Over the past 10 years of having this blog active, I’ve often asked family members or others to contribute a story of their person who served in WW2. In particular I’ve asked for stories about the men of Strong DD-467 or DD-758, but I’m always open to anyone who sees the story of their family member as worthy of being told. That said, my friend Bob Burton (and DNA relative we found) decided to help me tell the story of his father Ralph E. Burton, a veteran of the Army Air Corps. Below is the story of Ralph told by Bob with a little creative editing from myself. And as Bob told me, his Dad like most of the WW2 vets who saw battle, are relunctant to speak of their experiences. We have to let their records and WW2 history sites tell the story.
     Ralph E. Burton was born in Paris, Kentucky on January 22nd, 1924 to Frank and Nettie Burton. His father was a railroad engineer for the L & N (Louisville and Nashville) railroad. Ralph graduated from Paris High School in Bourbon County in may of 1942. On January 24th of 1943 he enlisted in the service of the United States Army Air Corp. Ralph mustered in at Fort Benjamin Harrison northeast of the city of Indianapolis in Marion County. After, he was assigned to Keesler Air Force Base northwest of Biloxi, Mississippi. The next step was an assignment to pre-flight training as a bombardier/navigator at the former Selmon Field just east of Monroe, Louisiana. Upon graduation on February 5th, 1944 he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. On November 15th, 1944 he received his assignment as a crew member of a B-25 J Mitchel Medium Bomber (tail number 44-29545) at the former Fairfield-SUISun Army Base, outside of Fairfield, California.      The real work was to begin here, as he received an assignment marked “Secret”, which read as follows:
“Except as may be necessary in the transaction of official business, individuals are prohibited from discussing their overseas destination even by ship number. They will not file safe arrival telegrams with commercial agencies while en route and at domestic or overseas destinations.”
     Ralph received orders to report to the base at Luzon, Philippines with the 13th Air Force, 70th Bombardier Squadron, 42nd, Bomb Group. On the 12th of June, 1945 he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
Ralph’s service record reads as follows: “Navigator/Bombardier B-25 Medium Bomber, navigated aircraft over land and sea by pilotage, dead reckoning, celestial and radio navigation to reach objective at a pre-determined time without departing from intended track, maintained a flight log and airplot and kept crew informed as to aircraft’s position relative to ground position. Located, identified and bombed assigned targets from bombardment aircraft. Required to have a thorough knowledge of operation and maintenance of bombsights, all bombing equipment on bomber and all types of bombs and fuses. Completed 44 combat missions in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre of Operations with the 13th Air Force. Has 284 combat hours, total flight time 840 hours.”
     I was curious as to the missions of the 13th and did a little digging on line. From the 13th AF - 13th Air Force WWII website, I found the following information. The 13th was formed December 14th, 1942 out of Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield in New Caledonia, South Pacific. They were specifically a combat unit of airmen also called “Cactus Air Force” with duty in the Pacific Theater. Missions took them from the Solomon Islands all the way to the Philippines. In 1948 following the war the group moved to Okinawa. A move back to the Philippines occurred in 1949. They are a heavily decorated unit, receiving the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. Campaigns they participated in during the war were: China Defensive, Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Northern Solomons, Eastern Mandates, Bismarck Archipelago, Western Pacific, Leyte, Luzon, Southern Philippines and the China Offensive.
     Ralph was honorably discharged on the 8th of February, 1946. Upon returning to civilian life he enrolled in the University of Kentucky. He later met and married the late Jane Pridemore (passed in 1998) in 1947. Ralph and Jane had 3 children: Bob (my contributor) was born in 1950. Next came sister Betty Jo in 1952 (passed in 2011) and lastly brother Steve in 1959. Ralph retired from his job with the State of Kentucky in 1979. According to Bob, he was recently recognized by Bluegrass Care Navigators for being a WW2 veteran. At age 98 he resides in an assisted living facility here in Lexington.
     For more information on the 13th Air Force, the 70th Bombadier Squadron or the 42nd Bombardment Group, click on the website and book links below:

Army Air Corps Museum
42nd Bombardment Group
Hyperwar: US Army in World War II

Books:
Thirteenth Air Force Story
Bombs Away, A History of the 70th Bombardment Squadron in Early World War II

Thanks, Bob for sharing your father with us!
​
- Tammi
​
UPDATE: Mr. Burton passed away at 10:10 pm on May 4th, 2022. Rest well, Ralph. 

A few days ago I received an email from Cindy Deering informing me that Edwin Deering, twin brother of Edward "Eddie" Deering (Strong DD-467, died on Arundel Island on July 11, 1943) has passed away at the age of 99. We first met Ed in Savannah when Cindy brought him there for the first time. This past year they both attended the reunion in Dayton and Ed was gifted with some wonderful artifacts from the history of the DD-467. If you would like to pay respects, here is the link to his obituary: Edwin Deering

In other news, if any of you doing research have had trouble accessing the Destroyer History website created by the late, great David McComb, it's gone dark. I have been in contact with his wife Meredith and she is doing what she can to get it active again. I will advise when the site is live again.


Again, condolences to the Deering family and please continue to take part in the reunions. 

Tammi
​

     Most of you are familiar with the history of Desron 21 in the South Pacific, just because of Strong. DesRon 21 was formed when enough Fletcher-class ships arrived in the South Pacific (first arrival was Nicholas followed fairly soon by O’Bannon and Fletcher) The squadron was formally organized in March 1943 after the 1 Feb 1943 sinking of DeHaven (John Bailey info).
     Seven ships took part in the actions accompanying Strong: 3 light cruisers; USS St. Louis CL-49, USS Honolulu CL-48, USS Helena CL-50; and 4 Fletcher class destroyers making up the destroyer squadron: USS Chevalier DD-451, USS Strong DD-467, USS O’Bannon DD-450 and the USS Nicholas DD-449. We know the fate of Strong, and the other three destroyers had various circumstances. Chevalier too, was sunk in battle in October of 1943. O’Bannon had a long and deservedly decorated life before being scrapped in June of 1970. The “Nick” was also one of the most decorated ships of WW2, and like O’Bannon she was sold for scrap in October of 1970. Oh, to have one of these valiant ladies for a museum! And while that can’t be, we do have a piece of the Nicholas that has been saved.
     According to a former sailor on the Nicholas, John Bailey, a portion of the mainmast has been recovered. About his service on Nicholas: "I was DASH Controller and Gunnery Officer when serving on the Nicholas in the late 1960s, then worked under Admiral Zumwalt in Saigon running the Navy’s language school (in “modern” times, “Gunnery” was a division and not THE Weapons Department head as during WWII)". John is working on a book about the history of Nicholas and traveling the country meeting with veterans and visiting places where he can learn about the history of the ships she sailed with and the men who inspired their names. I hope to meet him this year as he makes his way through Kentucky. Below, check out his account and what’s going to happen with this piece of his beloved ship.

     “Zidell Marine, a ship breaker in Portland, Oregon, purchased the Nicholas following the “Nick’s” decommissioning on 30 January 1970. As the “Nick” was being towed up to Zidell’s yard on the Willamette River, the tip of her mainmast struck the Ross Island Bridge. That incident may or may not have prompted Zidell to remove the upper third of the mast and mount it at the Portland area Sea Scout base on the Columbia River astride Portland International Airport.
     No one in our veterans’ association was aware the mast still existed, but somehow the word filtered down to me just prior to our 2015 Portland reunion. A fellow shipmate and I had a look, decided then-and-there that nothing would do but we gather at its base for a group shot.
     A few years ago the airport authority notified the Sea Scouts their 28-year lease would not be renewed for local security reasons. I was contacted by Sea Scout director and told if we wanted our mast back, come and get it. One of our member, living along Highway 5 in Washington, asked Chehalis Veterans Memorial Museum if they would mount the mast on their grounds, to which they said YES. Now it’s all about welding the mast back together, painting it, designing a suitable foundation (in a flood plain) and seeing it up for a flag ceremony next Veterans Day.
     Both Nicholas and O’Bannon were named after Marines. Presley O’Bannon (1st lieutenant in Marine Corps during First Barbary War 1801-05) is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery (in Kentucky) somewhere near (the grave of) Daniel Boone. I’m going to mount grave markers on the Nicholas mast pedestal in Chehalis, a replica of the Nicholas grave marker (for Samuel Nicholas, officer in Continental Marines in Revolutionary War) and a look-alike for O’Bannon. With some identifying brass plaques mounted nearby, this will give our West Coast Marines a place to toot their horns on Vets’ Day and the Marine Corps birthday.”

     What he doesn’t mention here is that in Zidell’s reception area they have mounted what may be a piece of the hull of Nicholas on the wall. He and his wife visited the facility and were told this by a receptionist whom he says wanted to put a smile on their faces. I hope her information is true. Quite the story and so lucky to have a piece of this great ship that others can visit. We wish John and the members of the Nicholas Association much luck in getting this completed and will post information and photos once the mainmast is in place and ready for viewing! Below are photos of the journey to move the mast and others that tell a bit about how the mainmast was recovered and links to the museum in Chehalis, WA and Zidell Marine.

-Tammi

Chehalis Veteran’s Memorial Museum in Chehalis, Washington
Zidell Marine Portland, Oregon

P.S. John's book will be titled, "Sisters in War, Sisters in Peace: USS Nicholas (DD-449) & USS O’Bannon (DD-450), First Fletcher Class Destroyers". Release date TBA

​Captions provided by John Gregory Bailey

     Over the years I’ve recovered a few artifacts related to our ship; the aluminum sailor’s knot with the ship’s name, date of launch and date of keeling, launching and commissioning; the mailbag tag possibly from the last mailbag to be sent off the ship on July 1, 1943 (yet to be verified); a couple of official photographs of the moment the torpedo hit the ship, presumably taken by photographer Allan Jackson; and a naval cover or “cachet” distributed and postmarked on the day of the launch. This particular item is intriguing and is part of a long history of stationary related to naval history. In researching the envelope I found a wonderful website that has a veritable plethora of information on these items as they relate to naval ships, and so much more. A little history first.
     Back in 1908 Navy ships opened the first post offices on board the vessels, doing their own distribution and postmarking of any correspondence leaving the ship. Many ships had distinct and unique artistic renderings on the envelopes, referred to as “cachets”, some were quite colorful and true works of art. Collectors of stationary began to see the value in collecting these pieces of paper history and in 1932 the Universal Ship Cancellation Society was formed. The USCS helped collectors document the history of these ships as they fought in various conflicts across the globe. Every year or event the ship survived was documented in some way using the envelopes with dated postmarks. Due to its short life, the DD-467 only had the one that I’ve learned about, the artist being George Neumann. The second Strong DD-758 has many from it’s decades of service in 3 wars: WWII, Korea and Viet Nam, with the launch cachet being depicted on the Memories of Strong page of our website.
     The USCS website has a much more complete history of the society and of the naval cover collection process, more than I can do justice to here. They also have loads of resources including data sheets on subjects such as: US Navy Branch Numbers WWII; all the ships in Pearl Harbor from the day of the attack on December 7, 1941 and the ships in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945 at the treaty signing; The Famous Fifty, all the destroyers the US traded to the UK in order to gain military presence there, and so much more. By the way, remember that Captain Wellings was one of the esteemed officers also traded in this exchange for 10 months during 1940-1941 to help train British troops on these and other ships as they fought the good fight in the European theater.
     Also on their site is a link to the Naval Covers Museum, a digital archive of their collection. I was able to add the image of the DD-467 and DD-758 covers thanks to curator Greg Ciesielski. Already shown was an envelope from a letter sent home to his girl by Frances “Frank” Edward Lee, RM3c from Strong already in their collection. The link below will take you straight to this page and the other link to the home page for the USCS. Greg has added a link to our site on their page and I have returned the favor by adding a link to them as well.
     If you are interested in learning more or becoming a collector, this site will help teach you what you need to know. Ebay is an excellent source for purchasing covers of all types, decades, conflicts and artistic examples. This is where I found the covers I have. I’ve only ever found 3 for the DD-467, so they are rare as hen’s teeth. Check out the vast information on this USCS website. Many of us are socked in either by COVID or by current weather conditions, so this is the perfect time to do a little learning. Have fun and if you have any questions feel free to contact me or any of the representatives listed in their contacts.
Stay safe all!
Tammi
​Strong Cachet Page
USCS Home Page

     I'm currently working on my end of the year synopsis of things that occurred for the project this past year, and frankly there's not much to tell - but, I will post one anyway. For now, I'd like to share a recent article in the Tin Can Sailor magazine I got in the mail this week. The article, "Spotlight on the Historic Fleet: The Search for USS Johnston DD-557, is authored by ADM Samuel J. Cox (ret.), the director of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Cox was on board RV Petrel when they first discovered a debris trail and portion of a ship believed to be the wreck of the Johnston back early in 2019. Further survey work done more recently by the team headed by Victor Vescovo confirmed the find and discovered more of the wreck due to his having equipment that could do deeper dives. Cox was also on board Johnston when the wreck of Strong was discovered, and he mentions our ship along with others found in this article. The Johnston has a unique history due to its captain, Commander Ernest Evans having been of native American heritage. There is an effort afoot to have a US destroyer named for him, and I wish them much success. He is worthy! 

Enjoy the article, and everyone have a very happy new year!

Tammi