USS Strong (DD-758)

The USS Strong (DD-758) was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She was named for Rear Admiral James H. Strong.

Strong was laid down on 27 August 1944 at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched on 27 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Hobart Olson, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Strong; and commissioned on 4 May 1945, Commander J. L. Howard in command.

Following shakedown in the Caribbean, Strong reported for duty with the Atlantic Fleet and participated in fleet exercises and training cruises. In 1947, she deployed to the Mediterranean, operating with the 6th Fleet during a period of increasing Cold War tensions. She returned to the United States later that year and continued operations along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Strong participated in numerous fleet exercises, anti-submarine warfare training, and deployments to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. She also took part in various goodwill tours and represented the United States Navy at international events. Notably, Strong served as a recovery ship for Project Mercury spaceflights in the early 1960s.

In the late 1960s, Strong underwent a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) I conversion, which modernized her anti-submarine warfare capabilities and extended her service life. Following FRAM, she continued to operate with the Atlantic Fleet, participating in exercises and deployments.

Strong was decommissioned on 1 October 1973 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register. She was sold for scrap in 1974.

Strong earned one battle star for her service in the Korean War and several commendations for her service during the Cold War.