James Hooker Strong (26 April 1814 – 28 November 1882) was a U.S. admiral. Strong, born in Canandaigua, New York, on 26 April, 1814, was appointed a midshipman in the United States Navy while he was a student in the Polytechnic College at Chittenango, New York, on 2 February, 1829. He made his first cruise on the Brazil station in Lexington from 1833 to 1835. After various cruises, he commanded the store ship Relief in 1859. Strong was promoted to commander in April 1861 and commanded Mohawk and Flag in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in 1861 and 1862 and Monongahela in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron from 1863 to 1865. At the Battle of Mobile Bay, he was the first to ram the Confederate ironclad Tennessee and received high commendation for his initiative and valor, and a promotion to captain. Strong served at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1866 and 1867 and later commanded Canandaigua in the Mediterranean Squadron in 1869 and 1870. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1873 and served as Commander-in-Chief of the South Atlantic Squadron from 1873 to 1875. Strong retired on 25 April 1876. He died in Columbia, South Carolina on 28 November 1882.
Legacy
Two destroyers have been named USS Strong in his honor.
