Hour-by-hour account of the desperate stand by a small US escort-carrier task force against a vastly superior Japanese battleship fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. (25 October 1944)
Admiral Takeo Kurita's Center Force, including four battleships, spotted US escort carriers of Taffy 3 off Samar. Kurita ordered a general attack, believing he had found Admiral Halsey's main fleet carriers. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
Rear Admiral Sprague ordered his three destroyers—Johnston, Hoel, and Heermann—to make a torpedo attack on the approaching Japanese warships. The order was relayed by visual signal as Japanese shells fell among the carriers. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
Commander Ernest E. Evans, commanding the destroyer Johnston, turned his ship toward the Japanese line without waiting for orders. Johnston fired over 200 five-inch shells and launched ten torpedoes at the heavy cruiser Kumano. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Johnston_(DD-557)
The escort destroyer Samuel B. Roberts, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland, charged the Japanese line. Roberts launched her three torpedoes at the heavy cruiser Chokai, scoring hits that crippled the ship. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Samuel_B._Roberts_(DE-413)
The battleship Kongo and other Japanese warships hit Johnston repeatedly with 14-inch and 6-inch shells. Commander Evans lost engine power and steering but refused to abandon ship, fighting from the fantail. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Johnston_(DD-557)
The escort carrier Gambier Bay rolled over and sank after sustained Japanese cruiser and battleship fire. She was the only US carrier sunk by surface gunfire during World War II. Approximately 800 survivors were rescued later. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gambier_Bay_(CVE-73)
The escort destroyer Samuel B. Roberts sank after taking a devastating hit from an 8-inch shell that detonated her magazine. She had fought for over an hour, earning the nickname 'the destroyer escort that fought like a battleship.' · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Samuel_B._Roberts_(DE-413)
The battleship Yamato and other Japanese warships opened fire on Taffy 3 at approximately 17 miles. Colored dye shells marked Japanese fire, and the carrier Gambier Bay was soon straddled by heavy caliber salvos. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
After expending her torpedoes, Samuel B. Roberts engaged Japanese battleships and cruisers with her 5-inch guns at point-blank range. She scored numerous hits on the cruiser Chikuma before being overwhelmed by battleship salvos. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Samuel_B._Roberts_(DE-413)
The escort carrier Gambier Bay was repeatedly struck by 14-inch shells from the battleship Kongo and 8-inch shells from Japanese cruisers. The hits caused severe flooding and the carrier began listing to port. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gambier_Bay_(CVE-73)
The destroyers Hoel and Heermann pressed their torpedo attack through intense shellfire. Hoel launched torpedoes at the Japanese battle line before being crippled by over 40 hits from Japanese guns. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hoel_(DD-533)
Taffy 3 aircraft, many armed only with depth charges or machine guns, made continuous dry-run and strafing attacks on Japanese warships. Pilots from multiple escort carriers exhausted their ordnance but kept pressing attacks to distract the enemy. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
A Taffy 3 aircraft scored a bomb hit on the heavy cruiser Chokai amidships, detonating her torpedoes. The crippled cruiser was later scuttled by Japanese destroyer fire, a significant loss for Kurita's force. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cruiser_Chokai
The destroyer Johnston finally sank after being overwhelmed by Japanese fire. Commander Ernest E. Evans was last seen on the fantail but did not survive. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_E._Evans
Kurita's Center Force steamed north away from Taffy 3, ending the surface engagement. The Japanese had lost three heavy cruisers and failed to destroy the escort carriers, a strategic American victory born of desperate courage. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
The destroyer Hoel, crippled by over 40 shell hits, finally sank. Of her crew of approximately 339, over 250 survived in the water. Hoel had fought at close range for over an hour, drawing fire from the Japanese battle line. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hoel_(DD-533)
Kurita's cruisers turned away to evade Johnston's torpedo attack, disrupting the Japanese formation. Kumano was hit by a torpedo from Johnston, losing her bow and dropping out of the battle line. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cruiser_Kumano
Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague ordered Taffy 3's six escort carriers to turn into the wind to launch aircraft and make smoke. The carriers began launching every available fighter and torpedo bomber. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
Admiral Kurita, confused by the ferocity of the US defense and fearing he faced Halsey's main fleet, ordered his forces to turn north and regroup. The unexpected withdrawal saved Taffy 3 from annihilation. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeo_Kurita
