Battle off Samar

[barretcreek]

25 October 1944. "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James Hornfischer. Excellent book detailing an incredible victory against a superior force.

http://samuelbroberts.org/history/roberts-family/

Well Done, Gentlemen.

[m1ashooter]

It is an excellent book. The valor show by those young men was outstanding.

[Bill E]

Agree, excellent book. A good tribute to those involved.

[Vern Humphrey]

Incredible heroism -- two destroyers and three destroyer escorts against four battleships, twelve cruisers and more than twenty destroyers.

[Dan Shapiro]

Bravo Zulu

[Clark Howard]

The conduct of those vessel Captains and their crews aptly demonstrate the result of brave men taking their responsibilities to heart. Every man involved in that battle knew that only luck stood between them and sudden death. The captains of the Japanese forces avoided the achievement of a crushing victory because they were fearful of failure. The U.S. Navy crews realized that failure was upon them, and threw caution to the wind to prevent defeat. We can thank them at our convenience, if anyone cares. Regards, Clark

[jon_norstog]

The actions of those sailors tell you a lot about the capabilities and determination of Americans, especially American seamen. It's kind of a tradition: in 1813 the British Admiralty issued instructions to all its frigate captains: "In no case will you engage an American frigate in single-ship action."

American sailors have always been a breed apart. I think this is true for all American fighting men, and women too. No one can say for sure why it is but my thought is that democracy makes us all owners of our commonwealth and gives us one thing more than family and faith that we will fight for. Like that dying gunner on the Johnston said: "Someone load me up, I wanna get off another round"

jn

[jon_norstog]

I posted this once before .. good time to put it up again. It's a song, actually with a tune somewhere between "Sink the Bismark" and "Good Ship Reuben James"

Battle off Samar

The month it was October in nineteen forty four
four divisions of the Army had landed on Leyte shore
five hundred ships at anchor, the beachhead packed with men
sitting ducks for the giant guns of the navy of Japan

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

The Japanese split their fleet up, center, south and north
Center Force the strongest, Kurita in command
Musashi and Yamato, Haruna and the Kongo
Plus Nagato were the strong cards in his hand.

Kurita had ten heavy cruisers and two more light
and fifteen fast destroyers steaming through the night
waiting for them off Palawan were the Darter and the Dace
the two subs closed thirty thousand yards in a daring nighttime race

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

Darter and Dace fired their fish and two big cruisers went down
Kurita was on Atago, had to swim or he would drown
Takao limped back to Brunei and the Center Force steamed on
Kurita got on the Yamato while the Darter ran aground

Next day was the 24th and they were in the Sibuyan Sea
McCain’s carriers could have had them but they were off to Ulithi
It was Halsey sent those carriers off it was Halsey who called them back
Old sailors tell not a chance in hell they could join in the attack

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

Well the planes got the mighty Musashi and sent her mighty guns
off to the bottom of the ocean in the Sea of Sibuyan
But Center Force broke off the fight as the day was getting late
Passed the wrecked Musashi and disappeared up San Bernardino Strait

Halsey had a mighty fleet, fast battleships and CVAs
He said he would block the Center Force and protect the Leyte base
but the scout planes found the Northern Force and Halsey took the bait
took his fleet and left Taffy 3 to block San Bernardino Strait

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

Taffy 3 wasn’t much of a fleet but it was all that was was there
Its scout planes patrolled the Philippine Sea off the island of Samar
Gambier Bay, Fanshaw Bay, and the older ship White Plains
three DDs and four DEs and less than 90 planes

Kincaid sent a message to Nimitz begging for help in the fight
Nimitz sent out a message and Halsey took it as a slight
“turkey trots to water GG from CINCPAC action Com
Where is task force thirty four, the world wonders” … some

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

Admiral Sprague was a fighter and a sailor through and through
He saw the mighty Center Force and knew what he had to do
It was all or nothing, do or die off the Island of Samar
Taffy 3 wasn’t much of a fleet, but it was what was there

Sprague launched his planes against the foe and sent the tin cans in
the Johnston laid a cloud of smoke then put the throttles to flank
on a zigzag course and faster than hell, she fired her shells
and then she launched ten fish.

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

Those fish were shot at 9,000 yards and some of them did go wide
Three of them hit Kumano and Kongo had to turn aside
Kumano’s bow went down like a rock and Suzuya dropped out of the line
Battleships and cruisers scattered and ruined by that one little tin can

Too many hits from the big ships guns, too many sailors who died
Dead in the water and a sitting duck, under the Johnston did slide
Two hundred men and a fighting ship who gave it their all in the fight
The Japanese sailors gave a salute as the Johnston sank out of sight

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

Samuel B Roberts was a little DE, runt of the Navy’s litter
But with Copeland in charge and 200 men she wasn’t a coward or quitter
flank speed ahead for the living and dead she charged at the mighty Chokai
she was too close to miss when she launched her three fish
and blew the stern off the fearsome Chokai

The Roberts fired all her shells into Chikuma and Chokai
The Japs fired back till nothing was left but single five-inch gun
and a mortally wounded gunners mate cried out these dying words
“load me so I can get off one more round”

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

Hoel was a brand new Fletcher Class can with barely a year at sea
She laid down some smoke and got in harm’s way so Gambier Bay could get free
She took forty hits from the big ships guns but kept firing all she had
Her guns and her fish was her dying wish and Yamato turned tail to flee

Heerman was a lucky ship that lived to tell the tale
of the smoke she laid and the shells she shot and the fish that did not fail
to force Yamato out of the fight and put Kongo under fire that day
Chikuma, Haruna and Tone she ran right at them and put them in disarray

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
between the allied navies and the ships of the rising sun

They called her a Kaiser Coffin, they called her a xxxxing slowpoke
the Gambier Bay launched all her planes and ran into the smoke
but an eight inch shell from Chikuma’s guns wiped out one engine room
and Yamato sailed up to point blank range and sealed that good ship’s doom

Four hundred planes filled the morning skies, like angry hornets or buzzing flies
Until their bombs were all dropped, their torpedoes were fired and gone
they made strafing runs with their wing-mounted guns
and long as they had fuel they just kept coming on

It was a desperate gamble, an all or nothing run
it was do or die on the sea in the sky for the ships of the rising sun
three cruisers sunk and the rest crippled or shot up in the fight
Kurita gathered his scattered force and steamed off into the night

[p246]

I do wonder how the battle would have played out if Hulsey would have left the two Iowa class Battleships. We will never know though.