The battle of leyte gulf from the deck of uss johnston. Uss johnston, dd557 print by sfreeman421 on deviantart. The ship was most famous for its bold action in the battle off samar. All were sunk with a combination of torpedoes from the destroyers hoel and johnston and destroyer escort samuel b. Wreck of famed wwii destroyer uss johnston may have been.
A warriors destiny naval history magazine october 2009. The escort carrier gambier bay, burning from earlier gunfire damage, is bracketed by a salvo from a japanese cruiser faintly visible in the background, centerright shortly before sinking during the battle off samar. Taffy 3 courage beyond measure posted on october 25, 2011 october 28, 2014 by mister mac in the annals of us naval history, there are a number of instances that demonstrate the courage and determination of a committed group of dedicated officers and men. One of the most prolific destroyers of all time, the uss johnston earned her fame during the battle off samar. Some folks criticized the style, but i found it was exceptional. Make smokecaptain ernest evans and the uss johnston off. Navy ship sunk in world war ii found 20,000 feet under the sea. At a 2007 reunion of two of taffy 3s carriers, the uss gambier bay and st.
The uss johnston and its kamikaze captain, took on 4. Johnston was operating with taffy 3 escort carrier task unit 77. The battle off samar taffy iii at leyte gulf robert jon cox on. Licensed to youtube by sme on behalf of legacy recordings. Worlds deepest shipwreck is wwii destroyer lost in the. At a 2007 reunion of two of taffy 3 s carriers, the uss gambier bay and st. A private underwater expedition says it may have discovered the wreckage of the uss johnston dd557, which sank on oct. Uss johnston dd557 was a world war iiera fletcherclass destroyer in the service of the. We will be doing last minute repairs, ballasting ships in the float tank, eating pizza and beverages, and commissioning the taffy 3 fleet.
The uss johnston was the closest to the oncoming japanese fleet, so evans ordered his men to attack. According to the veteran destroyerman, the triumph against overwhelming odds was an allhands effort. It was indeed a mighty naval feat, a tiny destroyer in a brave attempt to buy time to defend american aircraft carriers against the japanese battle fleet. City tour 1026 of san diego, we will visit the downtown taffy 3 memorial, the bob hope memorial, and the downtown area with time to explore and take pictures. A memorial to sprague and taffy 3 next to uss midway cv41 in san diego. Evans at the commissioning ceremonies of uss johnston, seattle, washington, october 27, 1943. When the japanese force came into sight of taffy 3, evans commanded his small ship to steam fullspeed towards the japanese force, zigzagging back and forth while deploying smoke screens to protect the escort carriers to his rear.
The battle off samar the saga of taffy 3 october, 1944. Make smokecaptain ernest evans and the uss johnston off samar. The only thing protecting the landing force were taffy 3 s 16 small unarmored escort carriers and some destroyer escorts. Johnston had now singlehandedly removed three very potent weapons from the pursuit of the american ships.
Johnston dd557 off washington state in october 1943. Taffy 3 was reinforced by the arrival of admiral ralph a. Lo, a speech by captain hagen in which he recounted the improbable u. The uss johnston was armed with no more than a few 5inch guns, leaving it seemingly defenseless in the face of such a strong japanese force. The johnston and her crew deserve a special place in the annals of warfare but then again, so does the whole of taffy 3. The experts said they believed they had uncovered the resting place of the uss johnston, a member of the famous taffy 3 unit which steamed into. Had the japanese squadron overtaken the american task unit, taffy 3, and cut off the troop and supply ships for general macarthurs invasion, the consequences would have been dire, admiral cox said. I have to say this is how a battle book should be written. Back on the raft, with the large ships going past, we could hear a planes motor with a high pitch sound, like one in a dive, but we could not see any planes as it was overcast. I just finished reading the battle off samar taffy iii at leyte gulf which was written by a nephew of a survivor of the great battle. Jun 22, 2019 uss johnston, a fletcher class destroyer of the united states navy, is this weeks subject. Roberts, the uss hoel, and the uss heermann ignored their orders and their military discipline, turned around, and attacked the enemy in suicidal efforts. The experts said they believed they had uncovered the resting place of the uss johnston, a member of the famous taffy 3 unit which.
The johnston and her captain were lost, but for two hours they held off the japanese fleet and enabled the taffy 3 carriers to live to fight again. Navy destroyer sunk in world war ii is found 20,000 feet. Despite being heavily outgunned, the uss johnston and her small carrier task force, designated taffy 3, took on a japanese center force of four battleships. Johnson leading the charge toward the japanese navy, heavily damaging at least two ships and then engaging enemy destroyers despite taking heavy damage. Hornfischer this is the third hornfischer book i have read this year and in addition to a few other books about the u. But despite kuritas departure, the ordeal of taffy 3 was not quite over. She was credited as the first ship of taffy iii to attack centre force and charged the four ships of cruiser division seven at 30 knots. However, as this force was supposed to hunt submarines and support ground troops, the aircraft carriers had few antiship weapons, and many pilots attacked the japanese surface ships with depth charges and even a pistol.
Third fleet units, including the fast carrier task forces, provided the outer line of defense for the operation and. Uss johnston dd557 196 scale us navy destroyer brickmania. Deepest wreck ever found is famous second world war. Taffy 3 might not have survived if kuritas ships had not been under air attack during the entire samar engagement. Uss johnston dd557, fletcherclass destroyer in world war ii. Johnston had been well into their torpedo run against the kumano when, at 0716, admiral sprague ordered the destroyers of taffy 3 to break formation and attack. The small tincan destroyer, armed with nothing larger than 5inch 127 mm guns and torpedoes, would lead the attack of a handful of light ships. The ship is widely known for her bold action in the battle off samar. See more ideas about leyte, battleship and navy ships.
Til the uss johnston was saluted by a japanese destroyer captain as it was sinking, after spending nearly 3 hours squaring off against 23 japanese ships, including 4. Uss gambier bay cve73 and two destroyer escorts making smoke at. Had the japanese squadron overtaken the american task unit, taffy 3. One of the pilots flying patrol after dawn alert of 25 october 1944 reported the approach of japanese center force. The skipper was a fighting man from the soles of his broad feet to the ends of his straight black hair. Fletchers served heroically with taffy3 in the battle of samar at the battle of leyte gulf. Despite being heavily outgunned, the uss johnston and her small carrier task force, designated taffy 3, took on a japanese center force of four battleships, seven cruisers, and no less than twelve destroyers in the leyte gulf. Evans was posthumously awarded the congressional medal of honor. The japanese force took considerable damage and made the decision to retire from the engagement.
Photographed from uss white plains cve66 80g288885. Though each escort carrier was small and carried an average of about 28 planes, that gave the 16 cves of the three taffies a combined total of approximately 450 aircraft, equivalent to four large fleet carriers. Hoel and heermann swung out accompanied by destroyer escort samuel b. Evans on the day uss johnston dd557 was commissioned. We then proceed over the coronado bridge where our narrated tour will pass by the famous del coronado hotel. Ziggy spragues flagship fanshaw bay, five other escort carriers, three destroyers including herself, and four destroyer escorts. Analysis and retelling of the battle of leyte gulf 9781076442369. His destroyers generated a smoke screen and, johnston in the lead, began firing at their pursuers. Taffy iii was one of three task units assigned to task group 77. A fifth ship from taffy 3, the escort carrier uss st. The dunkerqueclass deviantart is the worlds largest online social community for artists and art enthusiasts, allowing people to connect through the creation and sharing of art.
Taffy3 which was composed of 6 escort carriers, the fletcher class destroyers hoel, johnston, and heermann and 4 destroyer escorts was assigned the task of providing close air support for troops ashore and antisubmarine protection for. Fletcherclass destroyer with 5inch guns and ten torpedoes goes stampeding ahead of the rest of taffy 3. For more information on the complete battle that brought this fine ship to an end. The task force was full of ships that performed very heroically that day, but johnston led the charge. As a result of his leadership off samar his six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts saved the day at leyte gulf. The small tincan destroyer armed with nothing larger than 5 inch 127mm guns and torpedoes would lead the attack of a handful of light ships. The uss johnston and the battle off samar mcdonald, kevin. The light destroyer uss johnston dd557 was sunk in a dramatic action off samar during the battle of leyte gulf on october 25 1944.
Johnston s supreme courage and daring in the battle off samar won her the presidential unit citation as a unit of taffy 3 task unit 77. The first johnston dd 557 was laid down 6 may 1942 by the seattletacoma. Uss johnston dd557, fletcherclass destroyer in world. But johnston and her little escort carrier task unit had stopped admiral kuritas powerful. When attacked by superior japanese naval forces including battleships and heavy cruisers, the johnston led the destroyers uss hoel and uss heermann and the destroyer. Steaming straight for taffy 3 were four battleships, seven cruisers, and at least 12 destroyers. Uss johnston found the science and philosophy forum. May 01, 2015 this was only the first of many hits the japanese would score on taffy 3. Explore our editors picks for the best kids books of the month.
The united states begins a massive invasion of the philippines and the japanese will stop at nothing to destroy it. What the uss johnston accomplished against considerable odds was no small feat and is studied by naval historians to this day. Nov 05, 2019 smart news keeping you current worlds deepest shipwreck is wwii destroyer lost in the philippine sea a private mission found the mangled debris of what is likely the u. Hosting, site construction and maintenance by mtk hosting and support. The nonfiction book the last stand of the tin can sailors. This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. The ship was built in 1944 and was immediately sent to assist the task force 77. Despite being heavily outgunned, the uss johnston and her small carrier task force, designated taffy 3, took on a japanese center force of four battleships, seven cruisers, and no less. The tin can sailors of taffy 3 the battle of samar the.
Uss johnston the little ship that could american grit. The actions of johnston and her little escort carrier task unit taffy 3 helped stop admiral kuritas. John moore has signed on to direct the world war ii biopic come hell or high water. The ship was most famous for her bold action in the battle off samar. Evans, commander of the uss johnston destroyer was awarded the medal of honor in this battle and the entire taffy 3 was awarded the presidential unit citation. The battle of leyte gulf the defenders of taffy 3 youtube. The johnston was one of the destroyers attached to us navy task force 3 taffy 3 guarding light carriers off the landing beach at samar, philippine islands. Lo, uss johnston, uss hoel, and uss samuel b roberts. The story of commander evans and uss johnston is a profile in courage. Uss johnston dd557 wikimili, the free encyclopedia.
Completely outgunned, the americans were sitting ducks. Smart news keeping you current worlds deepest shipwreck is wwii destroyer lost in the philippine sea a private mission found the mangled debris of what is likely the u. Definitions of uss johnston dd557, synonyms, antonyms, derivatives of uss johnston dd557, analogical dictionary of uss johnston dd557 english. The battle off samar october 25, 1944 uss hoel ddg. She was the first navy ship named after lieutenant john v. Then visit balboa park and the historic gas lamp district. The task force was full of ships that performed very heroically that day, but johnston led the charge immediately begins dropping smoke to cover the escort carriers from the. Rear admiral clifton ziggy sprague, usn was the otc of task unit 77.
Uss heerman dd532 and a destroyer escort lay a smoke screen to protect taffy 3 from attacking japanese surface ships at the beginning of the battle off samar, 25 october 1944. Roberts all sunk off samar protecting taffy 3 cves fr the japanese. Nhhc photo some of the wreckage appears to be equipment such as blast shields behind guns that researchers know were on hoel, based on. Im not a ww2 naval expert by any means, but lets examine a few key facts about the johnston during that action. Uss johnston dd 557 was a world war iiera fletcherclass destroyer in the service of the united states navy. Part of battle of leyte gulf, philippines campaign 194445, pacific war world war ii. Screening for taffy 3 were the destroyers hoel, heermann and johnston, and destroyer escorts dennis, john c. Johnstons supreme courage and daring in the battle off samar won her the presidential unit citation as a unit of taffy 3 task unit 77. The ship was named after coxswain samuel booker roberts, jr. Uss johnston dd557 was a world war iiera fletcherclass destroyer in the service of the united states navy. What was the most courageous independent action by a u.
Deepest wreck ever found is famous second world war destroyer. After three long years, general douglas macarthur had returned. The taffy 3 model ship builders are invited to neils house at 3pm on thursday for a taffy 3 buildcommissioning party. Soaring upward, they climbed a mile above the carriers and suddenly dived down. Navy destroyer sunk in world war ii is found 20,000. The johnstons gunnery officer said later that he could see evans heart grinning as he led his ship into the fight against the japanese battleships and cruisers. In fact there is no mention of any of the taffy 3 ships or their captains except ernest e. Nov 05, 2019 had the japanese squadron overtaken the american task unit, taffy 3, and cut off the troop and supply ships for general macarthurs invasion, the consequences would have been dire, admiral cox said.
Im not a ww2 naval expert by any means, but lets examine a few key facts about the johnston during that action fletcherclass destroyer with 5inch guns and ten torpedoes goes stampeding ahead of the rest of taffy 3. The most ably commanded destroyer of taffy iii, johnston was repeatedly referenced by the japanese as a heavy cruiser. With suicidal courage, commander ernest evans took on 4. By the time the guns of the battle off samar fell silent five of taffy 3s ships. The ship was subsequently awarded six battle stars, a group citation, and her captain received a posthumous medal of honour. Uss johnston off seattle or tacoma, washington, 27 october uss johnston dd557 video. United states forces, including most of the third and seventh fleets, arrived in leyte gulf to begin the longawaited invasion of the philippine islands. Uss johnston a wwii fletcherclass destroyer famous for her bold action in the battle off samar. Uss johnston, the johnston was one of the destroyers attached to us navy task force 3 taffy guarding light carriers off the landing beach at. Although most of taffy 3 spent the engagement trying to evade the japanese, four of the captains those commanding the uss johnston, the uss samuel b. Jul 17, 2019 the uss johnston was armed with no more than a few 5inch guns, leaving it seemingly defenseless in the face of such a strong japanese force.
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