WARREN P. STRONG, JR., LT, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
Warren Strong, Jr. '40

Date of birth: April 28, 1918

Date of death: December 18, 1943

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1940 Lucky Bag:

1940 Strong LB.jpg

WARREN POTTER STRONG, JR.

Plymouth, Massachusetts

Potter

The same self-tanged sea breezes that filled the sails of the good ship, Mayflower, also set in motion a wind of fate that would eventually send to the Naval Academy one whose forefathers made history by placing their feet on a Rock. It is only natural that Warren, whose entire life has been the sea, should choose to follow a naval career, and it is certain that he shall, after graduation to the fleet, be a true seaman on the bridge and a comrade in the wardroom. The many close friends he has made during his preparation within this institution ask no more than that they may be shipmates with Warren.

Soccer 4; Water Polo 4; 150 lbs. Crew 4; Radio Club 4, 3; Boat Club 4, 3, 2; 2 Stripes.

1940 Strong LB.jpg

WARREN POTTER STRONG, JR.

Plymouth, Massachusetts

Potter

The same self-tanged sea breezes that filled the sails of the good ship, Mayflower, also set in motion a wind of fate that would eventually send to the Naval Academy one whose forefathers made history by placing their feet on a Rock. It is only natural that Warren, whose entire life has been the sea, should choose to follow a naval career, and it is certain that he shall, after graduation to the fleet, be a true seaman on the bridge and a comrade in the wardroom. The many close friends he has made during his preparation within this institution ask no more than that they may be shipmates with Warren.

Soccer 4; Water Polo 4; 150 lbs. Crew 4; Radio Club 4, 3; Boat Club 4, 3, 2; 2 Stripes.

Loss

Warren was lost when the patrol plane he was piloting crashed near Jacksonville, Florida, on December 18, 1943. The five other members of his crew were also lost; unable to determine which squadron they were a part of, though it's possible it was a non-operational (training) one.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Warren graduated from Plymouth High School in 1935. He was appointed to the Naval Academy by Representative Gifford.

From Find A Grave:

Lieut. Warren Potter Strong, Jr., age 25, passed away Sunday at Jacksonville, Florida. Survived by wife, Mrs. Patsy Ann Strong; parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Strong, Sr., Plymouth, Mass. Services Weiland Funeral Church, Thursday 10 a. m. Interment Grove Hill Cemetery.

Photographs

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

June 1940
Ensign, USS Minneapolis

Others at this command:
November 1940
Ensign, USS Minneapolis

Others at this command:
April 1941
Ensign, USS Minneapolis

Others at this command:


Class of 1940

Warren is one of 91 members of the Class of 1940 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

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