John Delach

In June of 2023, an international oceanic exploration group led by Victor Vescovo located the remains of the USS Samuel B. Roberts This destroyer escort came to rest 22,600 feet below where it sank during the naval battle of Leyte to free the Philippines and made the Roberts the deepest combat casualty ever located.

The Roberts was one of the smallest warships in size and armament to regularly serve as part of the Navy’s main fleets. Usually, these little ships were relegated to escorting larger warships, or hunting for enemy submarines.

On the morning of October 22, 1944, the crew of the USS Samuel B. Roberts entered into harm’s way to

endure a remarkable yet brief combat experience. Nicknamed, “The Sammy B.” the Roberts was sunk by multiple hits from large caliber shells fired from Japanese battleships, cruisers and other major warships. How did this welterweight of a warship find itself in the middle of a heavyweight fight?

The naval battle that accompanied the invasion of Leyte was, by far, the largest of the Pacific War. The Japanese chose to engage the US Fleet in a winner-take-all showdown. Since the Battle of Midway in 1942, their fleet had suffered losses they couldn’t replace to their aircraft carriers and aviators that they couldn’t replace while the size and strength of the American navy kept growing by leaps and bounds. Such losses were especially terrible at the Battle of the Philippine Sea that proceeded the battle for Leyte. History still calls that air battle  “The Marianas Turkey Shoot.” The American fleet lost 115 aircraft while the Japanese lost more than 600.

At Leyte, the Japanese High Command divided their assets into three fleets, the Central Fleet consisting of almost all of their heavily armored and armed surface warships, the Southern Fleet consisting of obsolete battleships and the Northern Fleet, made up of their remaining aircraft carriers, now reduced to floating targets acting as a diversionary ruse.

The Southern Fleet was wiped out in a single night. Their Central Fleet took several major casualties early on from attacks by US naval aircraft and submarines. Our intelligence reported that their Central Fleet had reverse course and retreated.

Admiral William (Bull) Halsey, CEO of the Third Fleet, the primary American war fleet was obsessed with the whereabouts of the enemy’s carrier fleet. When he was informed incorrectly that the Central Fleet had reversed course, he dispatched this powerful armada to destroy it. With Halsey’s departure, the sole American presence protecting the landing beaches off of the island of Samar was reduced to  four escort carriers, also called baby carriers or jeep carriers. The purpose of their Marine aircrews was to protect and support the Marines fighting on Leyte using pre-war  Wildcat fighters.

Each carrier group  was assigned an escort of three destroyers and four destroyer escorts.

On the morning of October 25, 1944, the three carrier groups had completed their nightly patrol duties and were re-deploying to begin their ground support flight operations. At 0645, strange things began to happen unexpected anti-aircraft fire, unidentified surface contacts and Japanese chatter. At 0658, the Japanese opened fire.

One minute later, colored splashes from the batteries of Japanese ships began rising astern of the ships of this small fleet. Admiral Kurita, the admiral in charge of the Japanese Central Fleet became equally shocked and confused to see American aircraft carriers ahead of his fleet. He didn’t realize they were only jeep carriers ordered “General Attack,” against what he thought was Admial Halsey’s main fleet. Chaos soon ensued. By 7:00 all aircraft from the three carrier groups had been launched, but the Japanese shell splashes progressed closer and closer to the escort carriers.

At 0716, Admiral Clifton Sprague, the local commander ordered his three destroyers to attack. Unbeknown to Sprague, Commander Ernest E. Evans, skipper of the USS Johnston had already ordered his crew to general quarters, lit all boilers and passed the word “prepare to attack a major portion of the Japanese fleet.” When Evans received orders from Sprague to deliver a torpedo attack with Hoel and Hermann, the other two destroyers. He closed the Johnston at 25 knots to within 10,000 yards of a heavy cruiser and fired her ten torpedoes, whipped around and retired behind her own smoke.

At about 7:30, three 14-inch shells slammed into the Johnston followed by three 6-inch shells thirty seconds later. “It was like a puppy being smacked by a truck.” But speed was maintained at 17 knots and all gun stations remained on line.

Next in was USS Hoel together with the USS Hermann that

commenced their duels with the enemy battleships and heavy cruisers. As they formed up for a second torpedo attack, Lieutenant R. W. Copeland, skipper of the Samuel B. Roberts, decided to tag along with the big boys contrary to his orders.

 (TO BE CONTINUED…)