Battle off Samar 25 Oct 1944

[BB60]

Fast battleships and heavy cruisers vs slow jeep carriers and destroyers? Who in the naval academies and training rooms of the US Navy would have ever thought to game this scenario in the years prior to the Second World War? But this is exactly what Clifton “Ziggy” Sprague, Adm, US Navy, was called upon to command in real life on the morning of 25 Oct 1944 when lookouts spotted Adm Kurita’s Center Force of 4 battleships and 8 heavy cruisers rounding the corner of Samar Island bearing down on his 6 light carriers, 3 destroyers and 4 destroyer escorts.

When the fight ended with Kurita retreating the north, Ziggy Sprague had commanded one the finest running battles in the annals of naval history, forcing a superior force to break off an engagement and retire just as they had Sprague’s force well within it’s grasp. Sprague was ably supported by the commanders of the escort group, specifically Lt Com Ernest Evans of the USS Johnston, Lt Com Robert Copeland of the USS Samuel B Roberts and Com. Amos T. Hathaway of the USS Heerman, who turned into harms way and sacrificed their ships to save the remainder of the battlegroup, Taffy 3. Their torpedoes and 5in guns were no match for the 8, 14 and 16 inch guns of the Japanese, but they doggedly plowed into the IJN fleet and caused the Yamato and other Japanese ships to head away from the fight several critical minutes, trying to avoid torpedoes.

Pilots of the flattops took off without anti-shipping ordinance and repeatedly attacked the Japanese ships, often with empty bomb racks, in vain attempts to divert the attention of the Japanese ships to give the carriers a chance to escape with their 17 knot speed.

Masterful use of a rain squall by Sprague also aided in the escape of the flattops as the Japanese continued on a course that carried them temporarily away from the turning US group. Kurita lost valuable time and position before realizing that Taffy 3 was hard to their right instead of in front of them and making good time to the south, at least as fast as the supposedly 17 knot carriers could go, with their boilers and tubines in dire need of an overhaul.

When it was all over the carriers USS St Lo and USS Gambier Bay, along with the destroyers USS Heerman, USS Johnston and destroyer escort USS Samuel B Roberts were sunk, but they carried with them 3 heavy cruisers, 1 destroyer and heavily damaged 3 other heavy cruisers. The St Lo was not lost to Japanese gunfire, but to a kamikaze strike after Kurita had retired.

Taffy 3 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its action that day and Adm Clifton Sprague earned the Navy Cross for his leadership.

There are several excellent books on this battle. Here are two and I recomment them both.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Tin-Sailors-Extraordinary/dp/0553802577 (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Tin-Sailors-Extraordinary/dp/0553802577)

http://www.amazon.com/Men-Gambier-Bay-Amazing-Battle/dp/1585746436 (http://www.amazon.com/Men-Gambier-Bay-Amazing-Battle/dp/1585746436)

I guess the site does not allow linked pics from other sites like photobucket. The pic below is of the USS Gambier Bay, under fire and dead in the water. It is the only known daylight photo that shows US and Japanese ships in the same frame.

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/EarlConehead/WWII/USSGambierBayCVE73andIJNCruiser.jpg?t=1200282895 (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);)

[The Sailor]

Great post Jeff.
In fact that was one of the few action that didn't have an Aussie ship or two tagging along.

I think the Japs were husbanding what they had left by this time.

Yamato was there too. Check out the pic

[herakles]

It must have been some fight! And with shocking casualties on both sides. Almost a pyrrhic victory.

Thanks for this thread Jeff. It was a most enjoyable read.

[The Sailor]

Check out this shot of the Gambier Bay

A salvo of shells from the Japanese heavy cruiser, possibly Chikuma, in the distance - marked by a circle - falls around USS Gambier Bay

[BB60]

Those boys put one heck of a fight.

The Heerman was on the other side of the carriers from the Japanese in relative safety, but Commander Hathaway went barrelling through the carrier group full bore to join the Johnston and the Roberts in their fateful attacks on the Japanese. He paid for his decision with his life.

On board the Johnston, the after 5" gun crew was killed when a shell prematurely ignited when placed in the over-heated gun breach. Damage to the engineering spaces had left the gun without the breach exhaust functional but the crew continued to serve the weapon, knowing full well what could happen. I said the gun crew was killed. The gun captain, a petty officer whose name escapes me, survived and was last seen, with grevious wounds, trying to load the gun's last remaining round into the damaged breach.

[The Sailor]

We were lucky Alabama. Had some big units against us that day.
Here is a pic of the HIJS Chikuma. Big ships.

[Batstiger]

If you want a bit of action have a look at this site:-

http://www.bosamar.com/ijnforces/fstrike.html

It should keep you quiet for a bit, I'll have a look at the comments to-morrow morning.

Goodnight Shipmates.

Bob.

[herakles]

that's a remarkable site Bob. The detail of it all. Clearly the author is very passionate about it.

The photos too were good. As is so often the case of photos taken in those times, they are not good quality. But to have any at all is great.

What an extraordinary battle. Has to rate somewhere near Midway and Coral Sea.

Though I am certain that Midway is the most important as it changed the course of he war.

[BB60]

Yes, Midway was the course changer, and this one battle, combined with the other three fights that made up the Battle of Leyte Gulf, slammed the coffin lid on the IJN. They could never mount a large-scale fleet action after that.

The Battle of the Philipine Sea (The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot) led into the Leyte Gulf battles, in that it denuded the Japanese carrier's air groups and resulted in Ozawa's carriers being sacrificed to the north at the same time as this battle was ongoing.

Halsey ordered Adm Lee's fast battleships* to help Task Force 77 (off Samar), although it ultimatley was not needed. If they had stayed with Halsey, it could have resulted in the last big gun battle in history against Ozawa's screening battleship and would have occurred the next day after Jess Oldendorf's Pearl Harbor survivors (USS California, Pennsylvania, West Virgina, Tennesse, Maryland and the Mississippi, which was not damaged or sunk at PH) crossed Nishamura's T in the Surigao Stait.

*Graeme, The USS Alabama was one of these.

[herakles]

I regard Midway as one of the most important battles of the 20th century, if not further.

It changed the course of history. See my thread on the battle of Salamis.

[The Sailor]

Hey Bob that isn't playing fair. That site virtually wrecked the forum as far as the Pacific war goes. It's all there.
Fantastic site though. I will re look at it from time to time. Some great pics in there. Even Tonclass would crack a smile.

Midway was everything to us in Australia Herk. I think it and Coral Sea meant that the US Navy saved Australia from a Jap invasion. I don't think Europeans would put a lot of importance to it.

[Batstiger]

What did you think of the watercolour of the USS Gambia Bay?
Here it is again with a bit of contrast.

[The Sailor]

It was great Bob. Dunno what Kc will say. I got a kick up the backside a couple of weeks ago for using artwork like that which was copyright.
I am going to save your site to file and look at it more.

[dmagro]

Actions taken by Taffy 3, especially the USS Samuel B Roberts and the destroyers really fascinated me, driving me to read about numerous other WW2 sea battles.

I can't fathom what it would feel like to be on board the tiny USS Samuel B Roberts and charging into such an impressive line of Imperial Japanese Navy vessels. Although I'm not sure if they could see it or not, even the IJN Yamato was present, along with a number of other battleships, and a large mix of Heavy Cruisers, Light Cruisers and Destroyers. Each and everyone of them more than capable of abolishing the tiny escort destroyer from existence.

I'm sure there are many other fine examples of crews and ships that gave their lives for others, knowing full well ahead of their demise, what their fate would be. I'd really love it if forum members could mention a few examples so that I may read about these.

[Don Boyer]

Of course the running fight off Samar is one of history's great "how did that happen?" battles. The reasons for the Japanese turn away have never been fully explained in any logical manner. Adm. Kurita, commanding Japanese forces, never gave really good reasons postwar, although the strain of having his flagship blown out from under him, being under air attack most of the previous day (costing Japan one of her two "super" [yawn] battleships) and being of the convsevative battleship-oriented school in the navy probably had a lot to do with it. Japanese Admirals, soaked in the tradition of "decisive" battle, turned out to not be so decisive when it came to losing large numbers of ships or even sometimes when they hadn't gotten a scratch (Savo Island).

Factors in the American victory are many, but I have always thought that Clifton Sprague had the line on the biggest factor, when he listed "...the definite partially of Almighty God" as one key to victory.