As the trailing ship in the escort carrier van, Kalinin Bay came under intense enemy fire. The Japanese destroyers and light cruisers, kept to the rear until now, pushed down along the starboard side of the baby flattops. All the while, Kurita's force was under incessant attack by aircraft from Taffy 3 and the two other American carrier units to the south. During the fifteen-minute respite afforded by the rain, Sprague made a decision. Between October 23 and 26, Japan’s Sho Plan No. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was one of the most significant naval battles in history, much less World War II. One would think that a battle called the most gallant in the history of the U.S. Navy would be prominently featured in our textbooks. “In no engagement of its entire history,” Samuel Eliot Morison has written, “has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in those two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar.”, Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague had his own observation on the battle: “The failure of the enemy … to completely wipe out all vessels of this task unit can be attributed to our successful smoke screen, our torpedo counterattack, continuous harassment of enemy by bomb, torpedo and strafing air attacks, timely maneuvers, and the definite partiality of Almighty God.”. Then he quickly closed to a mere 4,400 yd (4,000 m) and fired his last three torpedoes. At the center of the conflict was the Battle off Samar, a conflict that pitted a small group of United States escort carriers against the last of the Japanese Navy’s battleships. The Battle off Samar Kurita's force caught Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.3 (Taffy 3) entirely by surprise. The surviving crew would be disappointed later on when the torpedo hits could not be confirmed. I can't believe that they didn't just go in and wipe us out. The Japanese came upon Taffy 3 at 0645, achieving complete tactical surprise. Only a handful of the warship’s crew was able to respond. (Early in the battle, when it became apparent that Roberts would have to defend the CVEs against a surface attack, chief engineer Lt. "Lucky" Trowbridge bypassed all the engine's safety mechanisms and now the Roberts would be traveling as fast as 28 knots. Seven minutes after 9 A.M. , their ship turned turtle and sank. Lo. As the American 1'orces advanced relentlessly across the Southern Pacific: during the final months of World War II, four, Sho Plan No. Sometime around 07:40 Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland maneuvered his small ship to evade the charging Heermann and, as he watched the destroyer receding towards the enemy, sized up the situation,[26] which he passed to his crew over the 1MC public-address circuit: “This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. In all, two U.S. destroyers, a destroyer escort, and an escort carrier were sunk by Japanese gunfire, and another U.S. escort carrier was hit and sunk by a kamikaze aircraft during the battle. and we all yelled 'St. Assisted in his decision by the nagging persuasion of U.S. Navy planes that continued to peck at his ships, the Center Force commander finally called off the hunt and ordered his fleet to head back where it came from. Since the nearest enemy ships were supposedly over a hundred miles away, the American radiomen reasoned that the enemy chatter must be coming from one of the nearby Japanese-held islands. American forces had returned to the Philippines, and the Japanese Navy was about to make its last, desperate attempt to stave off defeat. The battle was already over for the two badly hit cruisers. These small guns would prove their value - they found an Achilles' heel in a cruiser's torpedo mount. At 10:30, a force of Helldivers, Avengers, and Hellcats was launched from Hornet, Hancock, and Wasp at the extreme range of 330 nmi (380 mi; 610 km). The Yamato and the Nagato had let themselves wander off; the Haruna was in pursuit of Taffy 2. To the south, Kinkaid’s Seventh Fleet was on the other side of Leyte Gulf. Over a thousand Americans died, comparable to the combined losses of men and ships at the better known Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. [3][4], Sprague's task unit lost two escort carriers, two destroyers, a destroyer escort and dozens of aircraft. Surface gunnery was controlled by optical sighting which fed computer-assisted fire control systems, though they were less sophisticated than the radar-controlled systems on U.S. At 08:26 Commodore Thomas requested covering fire be placed on the cruisers firing on the CVE's from the east. The Johnston's search radar was destroyed, toppled to the deck in a tangled mess. Only light forces equipped to attack ground troops and submarines stood in the path of battleships and cruisers intent on destroying the American landing forces. One advantage the Americans had in gunnery was the radar-controlled Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System. Later sorties from the carriers of Taffy 2 had enough time to be rearmed with more deadly weapons against the enemy warships: some torpedoes and armor-piercing bombs. Kurita was at first not aware that Halsey had already taken the bait and that his battleships and carriers were far out of range. After one hour, the Japanese had closed the chase to within ten miles of the carriers. The heavy cruisers Chikuma , Chokai , and Haguro , the light cruiser Noshiro, and a Nipponese destroyer poured salvo after salvo into the blazing carrier’s hull. ", "Action Report - Surface Engagement off Samar, P.I., 25 October 1944, p. Fired from an enemy battleship, the large caliber shell (14 in (360 mm) or 16 in (410 mm)) struck the starboard side of the hangar deck just aft of the forward elevator. Ironically, it was the two near misses that exploded under her counter that threatened the ship's survival. Guided by flares fired high above the rough black sea, the vessels under Lieutenant Commander J. The St. The second prong of Sho No. Bomb bursts erupted on the ships as the Japanese paid for their lack of air power. He threw his hat to the deck and began to curse in anger. Scores of aircraft and some 10,000 Japanese seamen were also lost by the Empire. Torpedoes from the Dace scrubbed the cruiser Maya from the scene in four minutes. These were the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle off Cape Engaño and the Battle off Samar. Fifteen of her wounded later died. Gunnery Officer Lt. Bill Sanders directed Hoel's main battery of five 5"/38 guns in a rapid fire barrage at a nearby cruiser and scored many hits. The ferocity of the air attacks further contributed to his confusion, for he assumed that such devastating strikes could only come from major fleet units rather than escort carriers. Straddled by the red, yellow, blue, and green splashes of marker shells, Taffy 3 was laying heavy smoke screens, the white clouds pouring from chemical generators contrasting sharply with the oily black smoke from the ships’ funnels. The survivors formed associations which still meet annually, and raised funds to build memorials in San Diego near the current location of the USS Midway (CV-41) museum which contains a model of Gambier Bay. The other plane, its engine sputtering, swerved toward the St. All available fighters and bombers from the Taffys were overhead converging on the Japanese fleet. Travelling at flank speed Heermann again had two near misses, this time with the Fanshaw Bay and Johnston. While the battle is frequently included in historical accounts of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the duels between the destroyer and destroyer escorts and Yamato and the Japanese force was the subject of a Dogfights television program "Death of the Japanese Navy"[65] That episode, as well as a History Channel documentary was based on The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, written by James D. Hornfischer. And even when their ammunition was exhausted, the pilots continued to buzz the enemy, hoping to bluff the Nipponese ships off course and give Taffy 3 a chance to escape. Note: Task Group 34.5 -- in fact only finished off the straggling destroyer. ", http://www.bosamar.com/files/0750_2nd_screen_web.jpg, "Combined Action Report - Surface Engagement off Samar ... 25 October 1944, p. 1 was to swing in against the Americans in Ley te Gulf from the southwest, through Surigao Strait. One moment the sun’s rays would clearly illuminate the opposing forces. The Yamato alone displaced as much as all units of Taffy 3 combined. The tail chase was also advantageous for the sole anti-ship armament of small carriers that was a single manually controlled stern-mounted 5 in (130 mm) as a stinger, though they were loaded with anti-aircraft shells. In mid-October the Imperial Japanese Navy began to move. The first man to enter the gun mount after the shattering detonation found the gun captain, his body blown open, holding a cannon shell in his scorched hands. Steaming at twenty knots through the narrow strait between Luzon and Samar islands, Kurita’s Center Force debouched into the Philippine Sea at thirty-five minutes past midnight. However after a morning of battle… Despite Halsey's failure to protect the northern flank of the 7th Fleet, Taffy 3 and assisting aircraft turned back the most powerful surface fleet Japan had sent to sea since the Battle of Midway. Crude by comparison, the Japanese used optical range finders aided by splash color dye markers in each shell, color-coded to the ship firing. ", At 0945 Evans finally gave the order to abandon ship. As the helmsman swung the wheel hard to port, the outgunned Johnston sliced bravely through the gray sea at twenty-five knots toward the Japanese heavy cruiser Kumano . Thus, unexpectedly, the Japanese began to disengage and turned away. Throughout the surface phase of the action, the carriers White Plains and Kitkun Bay, in the lead position, escaped hits from gunfire. In the meantime, the battleships Haruna and Kongo swung wide to outcruise the cruisers to the east. A TBF Avenger from the USS Santee. In undertaking Sho Plan No. The Japanese had succeeded in luring Halsey's 3rd Fleet away from its role of covering the invasion fleet, but seemingly light forces proved to be a very considerable obstacle. Sep 25, 2019 - Explore Bo Tomkie's board "Battle off Samar" on Pinterest. It is therefore debatable whether Kurita had a realistic prospect of causing serious damage to the invasion force off Leyte, let alone of inflicting a major reverse on the Allies. Losing their aim and speed because of the extreme range, the torpedoes failed to score. At 09:15, an Avenger from St. Lo—piloted by LTJG Waldrop—strafed and exploded two torpedoes in Kalinin Bay's wake about 100 yd (91 m) astern of her. Their lack of armor tended to aid clean penetration of armor piercing rounds before Japanese gunners switched to high-explosive shells, which caused much more extensive damage. But, as Morison observes, they had enough for what would have been required of them in defending the entrance to the Gulf, although not enough for a running fight. Of the seven screening ships, fewer than half, two destroyers (Hoel and Johnston) and a destroyer escort (Samuel B. Roberts) were lost, as were dozens of aircraft. Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3") consisted of Carrier Division 25 Fanshaw Bay, St. In the Battle of Surigao Strait, Nishimura's ships entered a deadly trap. However, it was the Japanese themselves that first recognized the Johnston's incredible actions that day: As a destroyer from the opposing fleet cruised slowly by, Robert Billie and several other crewmen watched as the Japanese captain saluted the sinking Johnston. At 10:50, she was attacked by 30 more carrier aircraft. Deployed in a formation of two concentric circles—the six carriers forming the inner circle—the U.S. flotilla was rapidly being overtaken by the speedier enemy ships. Destroyer escorts like the Samuel B. Roberts were even smaller and slower, since they had been designed to protect slow freighter convoys against submarines. Trading blows with five undamaged ships, the limping destroyer scored a number of hits on the 6,000-ton Yahagi . But their bad luck had not left them yet. The courageous determination and the superb teamwork of the officers and men who fought the embarked planes and who manned the ships of Task Unit 77.4.3 were instrumental in effecting the retirement of a hostile force threatening our Leyte invasion operations and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.[64]. battleships and cruisers. It was restored in June 2007. Scores of aircraft and some 10,000 Japanese seamen were also lost by the Empire. [2], At 0700 Commander Ernest E. Evans of the destroyer Johnston, in response to incoming shell fire bracketing carriers of the group he was escorting immediately began laying down a protective smokescreen and zigzagging. Lo launched a four-plane antisubmarine patrol while the remaining carriers of Taffy 3 prepared for the day's air strikes against the landing beaches. The Wildcats were good for use from such small aircraft carriers instead of the faster and heavier F6F Hellcats that were flown from the larger U.S. Navy carriers. One hit followed another, turning her into a shambles. Ships captains would see sets of shells fall, and notice that sequent shells would be predictably placed. The Japanese had just changed to a circular antiaircraft formation, and the order caused some confusion, allowing Sprague to lead the Japanese into a tail chase, which restricted the Japanese to using only their forward guns, and restricted their anti-aircraft gunnery. 08:03 Believing that one of the torpedoes had hit the battleship, Hathaway set course for the carrier formation, zig-zagging and under the cover of smoke. One of the TBMs, armed with a HE bomb, near-missed close astern to port, carrying away one of Suzuya's propellers, reducing her maximum speed to 20 knots. Unaware that his ships were finally closing in on their prey—with victory off Samar still possible—the confused Japanese admiral had decided to regroup his fleet before a fuel shortage and the relentless American air attacks put it out of action. Dodging the pink and purple bursts of antiaircraft fire, American Helldivers and Avengers pressed one attack after another against the wildly weaving ships. And when it was over, the Imperial Japanese Navy had ceased to exist as a fighting unit. Then, at 9:25, as he concentrated on evading the torpedoes launched minutes before by the, “Goddamit, boys, they’re getting awayl” called out a signalman on the bridge of the, Unable to keep in touch with his fleet because of bad radio communication, Admiral Kurita had launched the, Yet it takes no great stretch of the imagination to understand the indecision and uncertainty that marked Takeo Kurita’s actions at this point in the battle. He shifted fire to the next destroyer in line, scoring five hits before it too turned away. The Battle of Leyte Gulf (Filipino: Labanan sa Look ng Leyte) is considered to have been the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. At 7:01 A.M. Admiral Sprague ordered the transmission of an urgent plea for help. [57][58] A plane had spotted the survivors, but the location radioed back was incorrect. [39] Although they failed to strike their target, Haguro was forced to turn sharply away from the torpedo attack and dropped out of the lead to behind Tone. Lo, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, Kitkun Bay , and Gambier Bay ; the 2,050-ton destroyers Heermann, Hoel , and Johnston ; and the 1,275-ton destroyer escorts Dennis, John C. Butler, Raymond , and Samuel B. Roberts . This could not happen, and in response Japan devised Operation Sho-Go 1, one of Japan's final attempts to force a decisive battle … Through that exit Kurita’s still very menacing force was steadily plowing in order to turn southward off the eastern coast of Samar and come in to Leyte Gulf on October 25—its role in Sho No. The lack of a comparable system in Japanese ships also contributed to comments from American pilots of the ineffectiveness of the Japanese antiaircraft fire. A ball of fire sent clouds of smoke boiling heavenward. [18][19] Heermann was "within potato range" at one point (between 8:08-8:25) of a Japanese destroyer for several minutes, before being separated by the smoke. The ships had been battered by near-misses, but at 08:05 Kalinin Bay was struck by an 8 in (200 mm) shell. Although the enemy ships had closed to within fifteen miles of their prey, they were still beyond the range of the puny U.S. 5-inch guns. 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