Since I started the web site back in June of 2012, so many amazing people have contacted me.  I get messages from people researching their father/grandfather/uncle’s history for the first time.  Other people looking into WW2 issues contact me for information, then of course there was the first email I got from Steve Harding that led to a wonderful partnership and the book that is now in the works.  One contact however, was such a complete and amazing surprise I just have to tell you all about him. 

Back on December 29th of 2013 I opened up this message from the contact form on the web site:

“I was an eighteen year old Radioman in a tunnel on Guadalcanal when your ship was sunk. I was sending a message to Halsey’s headquarters when I was interrupted by another station sending in the blind (call?)….the message was encrypted so I don't know if there would have been enough time to (de)encrypt or perhaps another ship sent the message. That was so long ago but that message still haunts me. The message was perfectly sent.  It sure would be great if I could speak to that operator.  I hope this doesn't sound nuts.

Bill Brown RMC USN Ret.”

Needless to say, I jumped right on that!  We have emailed and shared information over the months.  Mr. Brown is now 89 years old, but he was the 18 year old radio operator on duty the night the distress call came in after STRONG was torpedoed.  Of all the folks I thought might contact me with information, I never expected this.  Bill has written an account of his time on Guadalcanal and sent me a copy of the manuscript.  He writes about taking this message in the wee minutes of July 5th, 1943:

“On July 5, 1943 I was busily engaged in sending an urgent message to Admiral Halsey’s headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia.  Somewhere in the middle of the message, I was interrupted by a series of dashes (Morse code).  That operator started sending a message.  He didn’t ask permission he just started sending.  There was an operating signal in the heading which meant I am sending this message in blind.  I recall vividly that operator sending the message, his technique was superb, he sent the whole encrypted message without error. …….. Anyway when the operator finished sending his message he was gone! 

The message was from the USS STRONG.  I ripped the message out of the typewriter and gave it to the supervisor of the watch.  There was a flurry of activity around my operating position as several officers wanted to know more about the message.  It seems I had the wrong time of receipt.  My Chief reprimanded me and jerked me off the circuit and I was given a week of extra duty.”

Bill writes more about the events of the night and of his time in the South Pacific, and if you would like to read his rememberings (there is nothing more valuable than first hand perspective), contact me and if Bill has no objections (let me know, will you Bill?) then I can share the rest of his manuscript.  He arrived on Guadalcanal shortly after the invasion of the Japanese on August 7th and gives his perspective of the daily life of a Navy man in the middle of the action.  Thrown into battle situations pretty much from the get-go, he dealt with the tropical conditions, frequent bombings near the tunnels, a surly Chief and malaria all while hunkering down in dark tunnels underground receiving and relaying messages back and forth to support the efforts in the Solomons.  I can't thank him enough for sharing his story with me!

Opening a message such as this is such a gift, and it happens frequently these days.  I’ll go weeks without any contacts coming through, and when they finally do it’s always amazing.  I treasure every one.   

-Tammi

I've said before that I love solving mysteries.  One has alluded me though, until recently.  Unfortunately I can't prove this 100%, but the evidence points in the right direction.  It involves one of the photographs on the website on the Memories of STRONG page that I acquired a couple of years ago when visiting the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.  The photo was taken from the bridge of the USS HELENA CL-50 on July 5th, 1943 precisely at  the point of impact of the torpedo that took down STRONG. 

I first saw the photo when Google searching on Joseph H. Wellings early in 2012.  The Naval War College Museum had a page dedicated to Wellings and this photo was on the page (http://navalwarcollegemuseum.blogspot.com/2010/11/artifact-spotlight-commander-jh.html#comment-form).  Of course something like this is going to catch my attention - how was such a shot possible?  Who could have taken it?  When I made the trip to Newport, the archivist at the time, Dr. Evelyn Cherpak was not able to tell me who took it, only that it was given to Wellings years later after the war was over.  For some reason I could not let it go, and shelved the mystery until some clue presented itself. 

A break came in the form of a note I found on a website dedicated to the HELENA.  One man posted a note about his father, Thomas Tuke.  Mr. Tuke was able to abandon ship when HELENA sunk the night after STRONG with a drybag filled with payroll sheets and other information.  My first inclination was to believe that whomever took the shot was able to get the film into the drybag and safely off the ship.  For the longest time, this was the only explanation I had- until I got the book by Duncan Norton-Taylor that I discussed in a previous blog. 

From the book, With My Heart in My Mouth by Duncan Norton-Taylor, I learned of three overseas correspondents who were present with DESRON 21 the night STRONG was sunk.  B.J. McQuaid of the Chicago Daily News was on the USS HONOLULU, Duncan was on the USS ST. LOUIS, and Allan Jackson of the International News Photo Service was on the USS HELENA.  They all witnessed the loss of the STRONG.  The next evening they were all aboard the same vessels when the HELENA sucumbed to 3 torpedo hits.  As she went down, the men abandoned ship and some of them were rescued by the USS RADFORD. Allan Jackson was among those rescued.  I learned from Norton-Taylor that these journalists were under the auspices of the military and were the only people officially allowed to have cameras in a war zone.  The thing is, when Jackson abandoned ship he put his identification, money, rolls of film, and camera in a ballistic balloon (dry bag) to take with him.  In the confusion of leaving the sinking ship, the bag got away from him and he lost everything.   He floated in the water for an hour before being pulled in by the RADFORD.  This should be the end of that story, but I dug a little further.

In locating Jackson's obituary I found he had two children, Robert and Kathleen.  I managed to locate contact information for both via Facebook, and after having conversations with them both I learned that Kathleen had possession of Jackson's personal scrapbooks and other documents.  She looked through the scrapbook and found something interesting - a missing photograph and a story.  It appears that when Jackson left HELENA, he had a roll of film in his pocket.  As he boarded RADFORD, he thought the film was too damaged by oil and seawater for development, and he tossed it in the trash.  A sailor from RADFORD saved the film from the bin, later developed the film and sent Jackson copies of the photos that came out.  As you look at this photo you can certainly see some damage from either salt water or oil. 

The RADFORD sailor may be responsible for the fact this photo exists, and it would be great to identify who he was – that’s a tiny krill in a very large sea at this point.  Because these journalists were the only ones allowed to record the events of war, I will conclude that Jackson is responsible for the photo.  Jackson kept copies of all his work in scrapbooks that were fairly complete.  If Kathleen had not found the page missing the photo and the paragraph that accompanied it explaining the retrieval of this roll of damaged film, I might not feel so strongly.  I may learn something different in the future, but for now I truly appreciate the help of Kathleen and Robert in helping me come to this conclusion and thank them for giving me their time and information about their father, journalist Allan Jackson.  

-Tammi

I knew last week would be magical, and it was.  The weather was superb and beautiful.  New England and the east coast are charming beyond measure.  It helps when you have great friends who live there and you get to see them as well as reunite with our friends of the association.  We arrived Monday and spent the first day with people who are as close as family, basically our east coast family.  A plate of popcorn shrimp and local Narragansett beer at Lenny's was the perfect way to start off the week!  We made plans to see them again later in the week.   Love ya Sue, Bill, Andrew, Silvia and Sadie!

On Tuesday we arrived at the Groton Inn and Suites to get with the group.  The first night was spent getting reacquainted and oriented to the schedule for the week.  I was extremely nervous about meeting Stephen Harding and his lovely wife Mari later in the week and that contributed to an extreme adrenaline rush.   Kind of wore me out fast!

Wednesday was a tour of the Naval submarine base at New London, facilitated by my awesome godson Lt. Andrew Schaffer, a JAG serving as Victim's Counsel at the base.  A very tasty catered lunch was served in the torpedo room, then after we held the memorial service next to the USS Nautilus 571 in memory of the sailors we've lost.  

Thursday was our free day and spent in Essex, CT, a beautiful historic little town on the Connecticut River.  The Griswold Inn is there, has been since 1776.  We had lunch with our friends there and did much shopping.  Later the Connecticut River Museum held our attention for a while.  So picturesque there, we could have sat for hours just watching the birds and the boats.  But it was near time to meet Stephen!  We returned to the inn, and around 5:00 he and Mari pulled up.  It was instant comfort, as he's the most approachable and amiable guy.  Mari is completely charming, and they were instantly absorbed into the people in the offshoot of the hospitality room.  He graciously fielded some questions about his work and his books, and after a time we broke for dinner.  There was a wonderful Indian restaurant on the corner near the hotel, and we ended up spending two hours there eating and talking.  Hubby and I had more fun, just an amazing time with enjoyable company.  

Friday was Block Island, and we drove to Point Judith, Rhode Island to catch the ferry.  That's another place we intend to return, only I'd like about 3 days to really hit the beaches and get some time on the water.  Loved Block Island!  Steve and Mari were with us and it was a good opportunity for them to chat with the folks a bit more.  On the island they had a catered lunch at Ballard's there on the beach.  Again, absolutely perfect weather, a scenic view and great food made for a memorable day.  I might have dropped a few bucks at the shops along the main street there as well.  That evening back at the hotel, we met with Steve and Mari once more for a bit more sharing of information.  

Saturday was the yearly meeting, raffle and then later the banquet.  Carol Loggia, niece of Fred Purdy of the DD 467 joined us for the banquet, and it was an opportunity for her to meet Don Fawcett, a survivor who had never been to a reunion before this one.  She also met Steve and Mari and spent some time chatting and sharing letters her uncle Fred sent home while aboard the ship.  We ate, then chatted more before saying our good-byes until next year.  It was harder than expected to leave this year, all my expectations were met and I wanted to do it all over again.  But, we move forward as Steve completes the book in the next few months - and there will be so much to look forward to!

Tammi

Having a wonderful time in beautiful weather here in Groton, Connecticut.  New people to meet, including the Fawcett family with Don, a DD 467 man, his wife Carol and daughter Janet Weld.  Tomorrow is a free day and later on we expect a visit from Stephen Harding!  Block Island is on Friday, followed by the banquet on Saturday.  More later!

The folks are arriving here in Groton and I can't wait to have everyone under roof.  Two survivors of the DD 467 will be here, James Merriman and Donald Fawcett.  The hospitality room will be hopping!  Tomorrow we visit the submarine base and I hope to post a couple of photos from the trip.  Stay tuned!

Tammi

Tomorrow hubby and I board a plane and head to Groton, Connecticut for the 2014 reunion of the men who served on both the DD 467 and the DD 758.  So much will change this week I believe.  Whatever happens, I'll share it with all the family and friends who have been so supportive over the years.  Wish you could all join us!

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

Over the years I’ve searched for any information on the daily events in the life of a destroyer man. There are a few books out there with some details, such as Tin Can Sailor by Raymond C. Calhoun, and South Pacific Destroyer by Russell Sydnor Crenshaw, Jr. These guys actually lived and served on the destroyers they write about, so when I found the book that is the subject of the blog I was excited to get a different perspective from a civilian observer and perhaps some details that a sailor might overlook in the telling. Details such as going dark at 1800 hours so the enemy can't sight your ship at sea at night. A guy caught lighting up a cigarette on deck faces mighty stiff punishment. The men wrote “sugar reports”, love letters home to their sweethearts that once the censors got hold of them, had to be scanned for sensitive information. Sometimes the stuff written turned a censor mighty red-faced, but as long as it didn't give away military secrets, most went on. You had to be careful while on deck, as it wasn't unheard of for a wave to come up and sweep a man off the ship. And you can't see the North Star once you get past the Equator, something most of us in this hemisphere find hard to imagine.

A lot of my searching for information is on eBay, because I occasionally find items and books that relate to STRONG or to the Pacific campaign that provide some clues. For instance, I bought a shoulder tab from a uniform with the name of the ship to put in a shadowbox for my great-uncle Billy. I also found a cachet envelope dated May of 1942 with the STRONG DD 467 insignia, a rare find. That cachet is on the top of the Memories of STRONG page, and recently there was another one available on eBay. My buddy Andy Hoder whose dad was on STRONG picked it up for his collection. I look every day just in case another pops up for sale, as another family member may want one some day.

Recently though, I put “Kula Gulf” in the search box and found a book. The book was written and published in 1944 by Duncan Norton-Taylor (at the time, employed by Time Magazine) titled With My Heart in My Mouth. Just as we now have journalists embedded with our troops in trouble spots all over the world to report and even show us through the magic of television when pivotal events occur, there were men and women journalists working in the WW2 theaters putting their lives on the line to send reports back home. Norton-Taylor was just one of these brave souls.

These guys literally island hopped to get where the stories were by begging rides on any mode of transport available. One day they may be on a destroyer or light cruiser on maneuvers, the next in a jeep going from base to base. The next day may find them in a rickety and very uncomfortable airplane with only 3 working engines or an LST delivering troops to a hot zone. Assigned and supported by the U.S. military in all places, these folks traveled freely, carrying their belongings and gear in duffels and rarely stayed in one place for long. They were victim to the same living and battle conditions as the men and women they were following – 90% boredom and discomfort with about 10% true action. Most of the time they had better sleeping and dining opportunities as they could tag along with officers at will, but alot of the time they spent in the trenches in hopes of catching some action – and not a bullet. Some such as Ernie Pyles did lose their lives in service to their nation and their news agency, but all who came home had stories to tell.

Norton-Taylor left home in Oxford, Maryland bound for San Francisco. From there he hopped a ship bound for Honolulu, and then to Noumea, New Caledonia. He was essentially a civilian in the employ of the military following the actions of predominantly Naval operations. After moving from one base or ship to another he eventually ended up on the USS ST. LOUIS (code name “Maiden”), a light cruiser with DESRON 21 for part of the campaign at New Georgia, including the bombing of Munda and troop landings at Rice Anchorage. This is what caught my interest, and why I had to have a copy of the book. Duncan Norton-Taylor, along with B.J. McQuaid of the Chicago Tribune (on board USS HONOLULU, code name “Flag”), and Allan Jackson of the International News Photo Service (on USS HELENA) were witness to the sinking of the STRONG on July 5th, 1943.

On witnessing the sinking, he says, “All at once, not far off, on our starboard hand, a cloud of fire and smoke bubbled out, lighted up the unmistakable, rakish shape of an American destroyer. Messages crackled over TBS. It was the destroyer STRONG. She had been torpedoed.” He wrote little more about STRONG, as the rest of the chapter was about events surrounding the official Battle of the Kula Gulf. So my quest now is this: what other written material did he leave behind that might have more information about events during the two or three days he was on the ST. LOUIS? He wrote for Time, then went on to become Editor of Fortune Magazine. I'm charged with more research, phone calls and such to see if he left behind archives of information that might give me a few more clues about the battle. It's harder than you might think to contact the big shot magazine companies, but I plan to exhaust all possibilities.

I highly recommend this book for a perspective of the time, the events and the people engaged in the Pacific theater. If you look on eBay you will find a few copies, but they are relatively expensive. It's a rare book. I got lucky and found more copies on Amazon.com and for far cheaper prices, however checking again I see that they have gone up from what I spent. Or, see if you can find one at a local library or through an inter-library loan system. I find that reading this book has brought up a few more questions and has given me another mystery to solve which will be the subject of a future blog. Once it's solved, I'll have a very cool story to tell – I hope so anyway!

If any of you have connections to Time Magazine or Fortune Magazine, please advise!

-Tammi

Over the course of many years that I have been doing research on the STRONG, on WW2 and the Pacific Theater, I have met and corresponded with many people in the field who have shared information and resources with me freely and without hesitation. These folks have never asked for anything in return, yet I've always managed to reciprocate in some way. Some I have been fortunate enough to meet personally, others have just been contacts through email or telephone. Either way, I cherish them all and am especially saddened when one of these folks drops off the radar due to illness or death. I learned today of the death of a wonderful guy and an invaluable resource, David McComb of the Destroyer History Foundation.

I first contacted Dave back in 2007, and for 7 years he has answered every question, introduced me to lots of other people who have been helpful and shared his vast knowledge with me. A few weeks ago I noticed he wasn't responding to a couple of email enquiries and became concerned. A couple of weeks ago I found out he had stage 4 cancer and was in hospice care. Shortly after learning this I sent a card and letter to Dave to let him know he was in my thoughts, and he never got to see it.

I owe Dave so much for his help and support. Because of Dave's listing my web site link on his page for STRONG DD 467, I met Stephen Harding. I learned through Dave back in 2007 that Milt Hackett was still around and was able to contact him, whereupon Milt shared some photos with me. My Uncle Billy is in two of them depicting the King Neptune ceremony as they crossed the equator on January 10th, 1943, and they are priceless to me. There is so much more I could list if I went back over the probably hundreds of emails from 7 years of correspondence. I think I'll just post the link to his obituary so the rest of you can see what an awesome life he led, and what a truly wonderful person he was as a guardian of WW2 history.  The Tin Can Sailor organization will be taking over the web site and maintaining Dave’s legacy.  
Rest in much peace, Dave - sail on.  I, for one will miss you. 

Obituary for Dave McComb: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/poughkeepsiejournal/obituary.aspx?pid=171632004

-Tammi