The Battle Off Samar – 1944 – There’s no such thing as luck

 October 25^th, 1944. The crew of USS St Lo headed about a routine day of flying ops supporting U.S. marine operations. Earlier in the day, Admiral Halsey had taken his 3^rd fleet north, chasing a suspected remnant of the Japanese carrier force. Little did Halsey know, he wouldn’t see combat that day, and by heading north he had inadvertently caused one of the most one-sided naval battles in history.

The Battle off Samar was just one of four such engagements fought around the Philippines in late October 1944, they were all fought to counter one single Japanese operation; Operation Shō-Gō 1. This consisted of a diversionary Northern Force, along with an attacking Centre and Southern force intended to catch U.S. forces in a pincer maneuver.

The Centre force of the Japanese operation was the most impressive containing 5 battleships; including both Yamato battleships (the largest, most heavily armed ships ever actually built), 12 cruisers, and 15 destroyers. Despite this however the force suffered significant losses while on route to the Philippines including Yamato’s sister, Musashi.

IJN Yamato, pictured October 1941, largest battleship ever constructed

This convinced Japanese leadership to turn away and regroup. Halsey was under the impression that the Centre force had retreated wholesale and wouldn’t be coming back, though he was willing to detach two battleships to cover the rear of the American forces. Thanks to errors in communication, though, everyone thought Halsey already HAD detached these ships - this would come back to bite them later.

All of this meant that when word of the Japanese Northern force being spotted reached Halsey, he was more than happy to take absolutely every asset the 3^rd fleet had and give chase. With the 7^th fleet of Admiral Kinkade preoccupied directly supporting U.S. landings on the Philippines, the only thing left to face the Japanese Centre force was the U.S. escort carriers… Taffy 3.

Taffy 3 was made up of just 13 ships in total; Yamato by herself weighed more than every ship in Taffy 3 combined. The backbone of this group lay with their 5 escort carriers; however, these aren’t to be confused with Fleet carriers whose names are etched into naval legend and able to overwhelm entire countries air forces singlehandedly. These escort carriers, designated CVEs in navy jargon, had earned the unflattering nickname of Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable.

Infographic of the ships present during the battle

At 6:50am, with sightings confirmed, Rear Admiral Sprague ordered his ships east towards rain clouds to mask his ships while also leading the Japanese away from the landings.

Yamato was the first Japanese ship to open fire with her monstrous 18-inch guns soon followed by the rest of her fleet. Columns of rainbow-coloured water that erupted all around the American ships, pink, red, blue, green, yellow and more thanks to the Japanese use of dye packs in their shells to help differentiate their shells.

Admiral Kurita of the Japanese forces was unfamiliar with American escort carriers and so assumed he engaged larger, better equipped Fleet carriers. As such he logically assumes that the carriers’ escorts must be battleships and cruisers based on their size compared to the CVEs when in fact, they are small lightly armed destroyers.

Kurita orders that his ships fire Armour Piercing (AP) shells at the Americans, and while this might sound bad, it will prove to be the saving grace of Taffy 3 for as long as it lasts.

At the same time, destroyer USS Johnston laid a smoke screen to cover the carriers. Having completed this, Commander Evans of the Johnston decided that running was boring and breaks formation to go on the offensive, closing the range for a torpedo attack on the nearest Japanese ship.

Taffy 3 escorts lay smoke for the Gambia Bay

Kumano is the ship unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of Johnstons constant and accurate fire thanks to superior radar and fire control. Once in range, Johnston launched all 10 of torpedoes, scoring at least two hits that blew the Kumano’s bow clean-off. Ironically, Johnstons success further cements Kurita’s belief that he has engaged more powerful units as surely one single destroyer would not have been so brazen.

It’s at this point that Admiral Kinkade’s 7^th fleet to the south begins to receive distress messages from the embattled Taffy 3. Under the impression that Halsey had detached several of his battleships as reinforcement, Kinkade radios Halsey to turn back, knowing that there is no chance of his 7^th fleet arriving in time to help.

At 7:30 USS Johnston’s luck seems to run out as no less than three 18-inch shells scythe through her bridge and engine room, crippling her and disrupting power to the gun turrets however critically, she has not disappeared in a raging fireball as expected. Thanks to the Japanese utilizing AP shells, which are designed for more heavily armored ships, these rounds smash into Johnston and pass out the other side without exploding.

Several minutes later, escorts USS Hoel, Hermann and Samuel B Roberts come charging past the battered Johnston on an attack of their own on what turns out to be the Yamato, forcing the behemoth to turn away, taking her out of the chase for the foreseeable future. USS Hoel takes so much damage in this engagement that when she retreats, she is left with only a single working torpedo mount.

USS Kalanin Bay takes a direct hit from a battleship, wrecking her flight deck and Japanese cruisers pounce on the opportunity to sink her, but are remarkably driven off when Kalanin retaliates with her AA armament.

The Roberts now finds her own opportunity at 8:10, exchanging broadsides with the Chikuma; despite her smaller size and fewer main guns, the Roberts had a higher rate of fire. This meant she expended not only all her AP ammo but also all her HE, resorting to AA ammo as a last resort as the Chikuma struggled to hit the small nibble target.

USS Samuel B Roberts at sea

The Chikuma soon gets assistance, however, and under combined fire, the Roberts has several massive holes blown in her side and begins to sink. It’s not in vain though, as the Chikuma would soon withdraw for repairs but sinks before making it back to Japanese territory.

By 8:20 American aircraft operations are ramping up and a hodgepodge of planes engaged the Japanese fleet. The mess is so confused that once pilots have expended their fuel and munitions, they are forced to guess which carrier is their own and attempt a landing in the middle of the battle.

Eventually, flight crews from Taffy’s 1, 2 and 3 began ignoring protocol and simply accepted any incoming aircraft so long as it had an American star painted on the side. USS Manila Bay services aircraft from no less than 11 squadrons, none of which belonged to her.

By 9:00 Gambia Bay, Hoel and Roberts weren't not long for this world. Despite significant disruption to the Japanese offensive thanks to U.S. air attack, Johnston is set upon by 4 cruisers simultaneously.

Gambia Bay burning after sustaining direct hits

In an ironic twist of fate, just 10 minutes later, Admiral Kurita orders his forces to regroup to the north, not realizing that at this stage the only thing standing between him, and the precious carriers is a single destroyer, the Heermann.

By 9:20 Kurita had been made aware of the destruction of the Japanese southern force, and even though his own battleships were still functioning, he withdraws from the area knowing that the battleships of U.S. 3^rd fleet would soon return.

25 minutes later the order was given to abandon the USS Johnston despite the valiant efforts of the men to both keep her in the fighting and afloat. Taking 186 of her crew with her, including Commander Evans, who would later be awarded the medal of honour.

USS Johnston, DD-557, now lays at a depth of 21,186 feet; the deepest ship wreck ever surveyed 

The battle could have very easily gone the other way, had it not been for several mistakes made by the Japanese early in the battle, such as their use of AP for far too long. It’s also worth mentioning that the Yamato, the only Japanese ship with even a basic radar fitted, scored a disproportional amount of hits - it can only be imagined what would have happened if the Japanese had greater access to these assets.

When all was said and done, the Battle off Samar was as one sided as one could have expected; however, the outcome was completely reversed. The U.S. lost 2 escort carriers and 3 destroyers; in return, this diminutive force managed to turn back the entirety of the much stronger Japanese Centre force and sinking 3 heavy cruisers along the way.

Taffy 3 would be awarded a presidential citation for the bravery of every man and officer involved and their determination to deal as much damage as possible to the enemy as long as they were still seaworthy.