USS Strong ( DD - 467 ) USS " Strong " ( DD - 467 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rear Admiral James H . Strong ( 1814 – 1882 ) , who distinguished himself at the Battle of Mobile Bay . " Strong " was laid down on 30 April 1941 at Bath , Maine , by Bath Iron Works ; launched on 17 May 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . Hobart Olson ; and commissioned on 7 August 1942 , Commander Joseph H . Wellings in command . History . After completing her shakedown cruise and post - shakedown availability , " Strong " sailed on 15 October with a convoy to San Juan , Puerto Rico , and returned to Norfolk , Va . , on the 27th . She departed there two days later for New York . On 13 November , " Strong " sailed with convoy UGS - 2 bound for North Africa n ports . She arrived at Casablanca on 29 November and returned to New York with convoy GUF - 2 . Following a yard availability period , 11 to 26 December , the destroyer moved to Norfolk . " Strong " sailed on 27 December 1942 ; transited the Panama Canal ; refueled at Bora Bora , Society Islands ; and arrived at Noumea on 27 January 1943 . " Strong " then escorted the convoy northwest for two days and was relieved to return to Nouméa . On 1 February , she and " Cony " ( DD - 508 ) escorted a convoy bound for Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides . She sailed from there on 5 February for the Solomon Islands and patrolled off Guadalcanal until the 13th when she joined Task Force 67 ( TF 67 ) composed of four cruiser s and their destroyer screen . The task force devoted most of the next month to patrol duty in waters in and around the Solomons . On 14 March , " Strong " , " Nicholas " ( DD - 449 ) , " Radford " ( DD - 446 ) , and " Taylor " ( DD - 468 ) were detached to bombard shore installations on Kolombangara island and shelled targets on Vila Stanmore Plantation on 16 March . The force then resumed patrol duties in the Solomons . On the morning of 5 April , " Strong " made a surface radar contact at a range of 9 , 350 yards . The target was illuminated by her searchlight and proved to be a Japan ese submarine . " Strong " and " O ' Bannon " ( DD - 450 ) opened fire with all guns . " Strong " made at least three hits on the submarine , and " O ' Bannon " also scored . The submarine , " RO - 34 " , settled by the stern and went under . Depth charge patterns from the destroyers insured that it stayed down . " Strong " , with TF 18 , accompanied three destroyer minelayer s to Blackett Strait , between Kolombangara and Arundel Island , and mined it in the early morning hours of 7 May . The next morning , four Japanese destroyers sailed around Kolombangara into the strait and the minefield . One sank immediately ; two were damaged and sunk by aircraft that afternoon ; and the fourth , although badly damaged , managed to escape . On the night of 12 – 13 May , " Strong " and the task force bombarded Kolombangara , Enogai Inlet , and Rice Anchorage . The destroyer then began escort and patrol duty off Guadalcanal . On the afternoon of 16 June , she was about halfway between Guadalcanal and Tulagi when a flight of approximately 15 Japanese dive bombers attacked American shipping . " Strong " was the closest ship to the bombers as they approached in a shallow glide from the direction of Koli Point . Between 14 : 14 and 14 : 21 , she splashed three of them . On the morning of 5 July , American forces landed at Rice Anchorage . " Strong " and TF 18 were to support the landings by shelling Vila - Stanmore , Enogai , and Bairoko . " Strong " and " Nicholas " entered Bairoko Harbor to search ahead of the main force and shelled the harbor from 00 : 30 to 00 : 40 . Nine minutes later , " Strong " s gunnery officer sighted a torpedo wake . Before he had time to notify the bridge , the torpedo hit her port side aft . " Chevalier " ( DD - 451 ) intentionally rammed " Strong " s bow to enable her to throw nets and lines to the stricken ship , and removed 241 men in about seven minutes . Japanese gunners on Enogai beach spotted the ships , illuminated them with star shell s , and then opened fire with high explosives . " O ' Bannon " began counter - battery fire in an effort to silence the enemy guns which were soon hitting " Strong " . " Chevalier " had to cease rescue operations lest she also get hit . " Strong " began to settle rapidly with a 40° to 60° list to starboard . She broke in half just before sinking . Several of her depth charges exploded , causing further injuries and loss of life . Forty - six men perished with the ship . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 15 July 1943 . The fatal torpedo was from a salvo fired by the Japanese destroyers , led by " Niizuki " , from a distance of . Honors . " Strong " received two battle stars for World War II service . See also . See USS " Strong " for other ships of the same name .