Art prints of USS STRONG DD 467 now available. See details below!*
Welcome to the home page for Project USS STRONG DD-467! (Updated 4/8/2025)
Next Reunion September in Virginia Beach, VA!
The wreck of USS STRONG DD467 was found February 6, 2019!
This project began as a labor of love, to honor my great-uncle William "Billy" Clay Hedrick, Jr., an Ensign and Junior Communications Officer aboard USS STRONG DD-467. Billy died in performance of his duties on July 5th, 1943. STRONG and her Task Force 36.1, including DESRON 21 were bombarding targets at Kula Gulf of the Solomon Islands, in between Kolombangara and New Georgia, when a Type 93 or "long lance" torpedo shot from over 11 nautical miles away (historically, the longest torpedo death strike in WW2 history) by a Japanese destroyer cut through the middle of the ship, breaking her back. Billy and 45 other officers and shipmates lost their lives that night. I've seen over the years that more needs to be done, and not just for the sake of Uncle Billy. The larger goal of this project is to see that the sacrifices of these men are not forgotten, that history gets re-written to include the loss of these men and their ship in a major battle, and to bring proper and long-overdue recognition to a remarkable survivor of the Strong, Lt. Hugh Barr Miller, Jr., who was recommended for and should have received the Nation's highest award for valor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
I've spent decades researching the ship, her men, the life of Uncle Billy, the Naval Reserve and deep sea exploration. The result of which is this website, a long list of USS STRONG DD-467 family members, amazing research partners, and a man who early on showed serious interest in our quest to find STRONG and tell her story, David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries, LTD. Check his web site for more information: http://www.bluewater.uk.com/contact.htm
David has a proven history of finding hard to find or impossible to find sunken ships. He is also an accomplished author and producer of documentary films that accompany the finds. His memoirs were released in 2018 in Australia and in the UK. His book, The Shipwreck Hunter was released in the US market in June 2018. To purchase the book and learn about his decades of work in ocean exploration, order at Amazon.com. Due to other commitments David was unable to locate STRONG, however he introduced me to the amazing people who did.
Thanks to David Mearns, shipwreck hunter extraordinaire, we are now friends with a former crew member of the RV PETREL research ship, submarine and ROV pilot Paul Mayer (and his lovely wife Rosie). The PETREL was one of the many ships in the fleet of the late Paul Allen and his Vulcan, Inc. company. Once acquired it was fitted out for the work of searching the sea bottom for lost WWII shipwrecks and other projects as required. Paul Mayer and the group were uniquely qualified to complete the mission of locating STRONG. *And this was done on February 6th of 2019!!!
After the death of Allen in 2018, and then the COVID pandemic, PETREL and other ships were sold and the crew dissolved. In March 2023, while in drydock in Leith, Scotland just north of Edinburgh, PETREL fell off the chocks in a windstorm and was badly damaged. The US Navy, her owners at the time had her patched up and towed to a shipbuilder in Florida. Instead of repairing the ship, I sadly found that they had the ship scrapped. There would be no chance of being on PETREL ever.
One thing I need to make perfectly clear for this expedition. PETREL filmed and documented the wreck in order to better understand how the torpedo caused her destruction, and to finish her historical report. NO RECOVERY of remains or artifacts was conducted. Due to the COVID pandemic, we lost the chance to have the plaque placed at the site of the wreck. The plaque has been delivered to its new home at the South Pacific WW2 Museum in Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu! Check out the blogs in July 2024 to read about the experience.
The next reunion of the USS STRONG DD-467/758 Association and families will be in Virginia Beach, VA. All details are pending. Watch the association website for details and dates.
*Anyone wanting to join the USS Strong Association can contact Jim Kelly from the web site, or email me for phone numbers or mailing addresses. Cost is $10.00 for one year or $100.00 for a lifetime membership in the organization. Anyone planning to attend the reunion this year can join before you go, or while you are there.
This web site is a tool for finding and informing other family members of sailors who served on STRONG DD-467. It has become a place to meet and greet other family members, exchange information and to post a historical sketch of your loved one, be they a survivor or one who was lost. All who are interested are welcome to share information.
Other ships in DESRON 21 in the engagement that night including the Japanese vessels were:
Fletcher-class destroyers: Light cruisers: Japanese destroyers:
USS CHEVALIER DD-451 USS HELENA CL-50 IJN Yunagi
USS O'BANNON DD-450 USS ST. LOUIS CL-49 IJN Niizuki - believed responsible for Strong's demise
USS NICHOLAS DD-449 USS HONOLULU CL-48 IJN Nagatsuki
IJN Satsuki
I've added links to the web sites of the above ships on the Navy Links and Research page. There were at least 14 other allied ships involved in the engagement that evening, a total of 21. Contact me for more information on the rest of Task Group 36.1. I have a list compiled of the ships in action.
Any information or stories from sailors who served aboard these ships is welcome, also. I've spoken with a few men from HELENA, NICHOLAS and CHEVALIER who have shared their stories of the sinking and rescue of the survivors following the event.
Welcome to the site. Any comments or suggestions on content or presentation are welcome. I also welcome help with content, Including individual contributions to the blog page. If you would like to write something and have it posted, please send it to me. I intend for this to be a forum for others interested in these ships and their crews, not just for myself. I've currently added a mailbox specifically for inquiries related to the project, it's listed below. Please contact me there for more information.
Tammi Hedrick Johnson
Lexington, Kentucky
* To reach me with a comment, suggestion or just to say hello, use the email below:
ProjectStrongDD467@gmail.com
P.S. Many thanks to Andy Hoder (son of Stanley Hoder) for his helpful suggestions on content, and for his never wavering support!
Now on Facebook!!! Share the page with friends to get the word out about Project USS Strong DD 467!
Find me on Bluesky @tammij.bsky.social
I've spent decades researching the ship, her men, the life of Uncle Billy, the Naval Reserve and deep sea exploration. The result of which is this website, a long list of USS STRONG DD-467 family members, amazing research partners, and a man who early on showed serious interest in our quest to find STRONG and tell her story, David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries, LTD. Check his web site for more information: http://www.bluewater.uk.com/contact.htm
David has a proven history of finding hard to find or impossible to find sunken ships. He is also an accomplished author and producer of documentary films that accompany the finds. His memoirs were released in 2018 in Australia and in the UK. His book, The Shipwreck Hunter was released in the US market in June 2018. To purchase the book and learn about his decades of work in ocean exploration, order at Amazon.com. Due to other commitments David was unable to locate STRONG, however he introduced me to the amazing people who did.
Thanks to David Mearns, shipwreck hunter extraordinaire, we are now friends with a former crew member of the RV PETREL research ship, submarine and ROV pilot Paul Mayer (and his lovely wife Rosie). The PETREL was one of the many ships in the fleet of the late Paul Allen and his Vulcan, Inc. company. Once acquired it was fitted out for the work of searching the sea bottom for lost WWII shipwrecks and other projects as required. Paul Mayer and the group were uniquely qualified to complete the mission of locating STRONG. *And this was done on February 6th of 2019!!!
After the death of Allen in 2018, and then the COVID pandemic, PETREL and other ships were sold and the crew dissolved. In March 2023, while in drydock in Leith, Scotland just north of Edinburgh, PETREL fell off the chocks in a windstorm and was badly damaged. The US Navy, her owners at the time had her patched up and towed to a shipbuilder in Florida. Instead of repairing the ship, I sadly found that they had the ship scrapped. There would be no chance of being on PETREL ever.
One thing I need to make perfectly clear for this expedition. PETREL filmed and documented the wreck in order to better understand how the torpedo caused her destruction, and to finish her historical report. NO RECOVERY of remains or artifacts was conducted. Due to the COVID pandemic, we lost the chance to have the plaque placed at the site of the wreck. The plaque has been delivered to its new home at the South Pacific WW2 Museum in Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu! Check out the blogs in July 2024 to read about the experience.
The next reunion of the USS STRONG DD-467/758 Association and families will be in Virginia Beach, VA. All details are pending. Watch the association website for details and dates.
*Anyone wanting to join the USS Strong Association can contact Jim Kelly from the web site, or email me for phone numbers or mailing addresses. Cost is $10.00 for one year or $100.00 for a lifetime membership in the organization. Anyone planning to attend the reunion this year can join before you go, or while you are there.
This web site is a tool for finding and informing other family members of sailors who served on STRONG DD-467. It has become a place to meet and greet other family members, exchange information and to post a historical sketch of your loved one, be they a survivor or one who was lost. All who are interested are welcome to share information.
Other ships in DESRON 21 in the engagement that night including the Japanese vessels were:
Fletcher-class destroyers: Light cruisers: Japanese destroyers:
USS CHEVALIER DD-451 USS HELENA CL-50 IJN Yunagi
USS O'BANNON DD-450 USS ST. LOUIS CL-49 IJN Niizuki - believed responsible for Strong's demise
USS NICHOLAS DD-449 USS HONOLULU CL-48 IJN Nagatsuki
IJN Satsuki
I've added links to the web sites of the above ships on the Navy Links and Research page. There were at least 14 other allied ships involved in the engagement that evening, a total of 21. Contact me for more information on the rest of Task Group 36.1. I have a list compiled of the ships in action.
Any information or stories from sailors who served aboard these ships is welcome, also. I've spoken with a few men from HELENA, NICHOLAS and CHEVALIER who have shared their stories of the sinking and rescue of the survivors following the event.
Welcome to the site. Any comments or suggestions on content or presentation are welcome. I also welcome help with content, Including individual contributions to the blog page. If you would like to write something and have it posted, please send it to me. I intend for this to be a forum for others interested in these ships and their crews, not just for myself. I've currently added a mailbox specifically for inquiries related to the project, it's listed below. Please contact me there for more information.
Tammi Hedrick Johnson
Lexington, Kentucky
* To reach me with a comment, suggestion or just to say hello, use the email below:
ProjectStrongDD467@gmail.com
P.S. Many thanks to Andy Hoder (son of Stanley Hoder) for his helpful suggestions on content, and for his never wavering support!
Now on Facebook!!! Share the page with friends to get the word out about Project USS Strong DD 467!
Find me on Bluesky @tammij.bsky.social
Ensign William C. Hedrick, Jr.
Billy Hedrick, class #8 Midshipman's School V-7 or the 90 day wonder program (see Navy Links & Research page for more info) at Northwestern University, Chicago. This photo was taken outside of Abbott Hall after graduation and receiving his commission papers at the end of October of 1942. He was 23 years old in this photograph.
He was born in Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky on February 12th, 1919. Billy was the 12th of 14 children. Three of those children died before age 14, and only a handful finished secondary school. Billy graduated from Mount Sterling City High School in 1936, and went to college on a full scholarship to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, graduating with "high distinction" and honors in 1940.
In March of 1942, he signed his enlistment papers in Louisville, KY. After training, he was assigned to the Pacific fleet headed for duty in South America. Once they reached the Panama Canal in early January of 1943, the captain got orders to proceed west through the canal and on to the south Pacific. He served aboard STRONG from December 17th, 1942 until she sank on July 5th, 1943. He was 24 years old at his death.
He was born in Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky on February 12th, 1919. Billy was the 12th of 14 children. Three of those children died before age 14, and only a handful finished secondary school. Billy graduated from Mount Sterling City High School in 1936, and went to college on a full scholarship to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, graduating with "high distinction" and honors in 1940.
In March of 1942, he signed his enlistment papers in Louisville, KY. After training, he was assigned to the Pacific fleet headed for duty in South America. Once they reached the Panama Canal in early January of 1943, the captain got orders to proceed west through the canal and on to the south Pacific. He served aboard STRONG from December 17th, 1942 until she sank on July 5th, 1943. He was 24 years old at his death.
The Saga of Lt. Hugh Barr Miller, Jr. as told by Stephen Harding
The story of Hugh Barr Miller, Jr. and his ship the USS STRONG DD 467 has been told by author and World War 2 historian, editor in chief of Military History Magazine's Stephen Harding. From beginning to end, we learn about his early history, his training received while a member of Wallace Wade's Rose Bowl team at the University of Alabama in the early 1930's and how it helped him to survive the experience of being shipwrecked and alone on a Japanese held island in the central Solomons. In addition, the stories of other men on board STRONG, including my uncle Billy are profiled. Thank you to Steve for a job VERY well done.
Available on Amazon.com and all other internet book outlets!
*This wonderful book was to be a movie, but things didn't work out with the most recent option. We are not done trying, though. Another book by Steve, "The Last Battle" is in pre-production for a major motion picture with possible filming beginning this summer. More on this when I have any news to share. 3/15/2025
Available on Amazon.com and all other internet book outlets!
*This wonderful book was to be a movie, but things didn't work out with the most recent option. We are not done trying, though. Another book by Steve, "The Last Battle" is in pre-production for a major motion picture with possible filming beginning this summer. More on this when I have any news to share. 3/15/2025
The Shipwreck Hunter by David L. Mearns
I'm happy to announce the release of this new book by shipwreck hunter extraordinaire, David Mearns! The book was released in Australia and the UK in 2017. The book is out now, so get a copy and read all about his exploration and discoveries! Those interested in copies can order at Amazon.com. Barnes & Noble on line also carries the book as do other major bookstores. Check locally to see if anyone else has them on the shelf. |
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This image of the Strong DD-467 was painted in watercolor by my brother-in-law Jim Powell. I have recently framed my print, and they have agreed to allow others to purchase 10" x 13" prints, numbered and signed. If you are interested in purchasing one for yourself or a family member, please email me at tamber12@aol.com.
Contact me if you would like a copy of this print.
Added 10/27/2020
Contact me if you would like a copy of this print.
Added 10/27/2020
