The Seventh Fleet's unequivocal thrashing of the Imperial Japanese Navy
at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 can be credited to numerous
overcome, decided, and benevolent American Sailors. Leader
Ernest E. Evans, the boss of the Fletcher-class
destroyer Johnston (DD 557), emerged among them.
Evans, whose mother was Cherokee and father, half-white,
half-Creek Indian, moved on from an about all-white Oklahoma high
school when bias was the standard. He enrolled in the Navy
and after that won an arrangement to the U.S. Maritime Academy, graduating
with the class of 1931. Amid the 1930s he served on board cruisers
what's more, destroyers, taking summon of Johnston at her authorizing on
27 October 1943. At that service Evans told his group, in John Paul
Jones' unfading words, "I expect to go in damage's direction."
Administrator Evans and Johnston were unmistakably in damage's way on
25 October 1944 when Japanese Admiral Takeo Kurita's armada of 23
ships, cruisers, and destroyers abruptly showed up through the
morning fog off the Philippine island of Samar and set out toward the
attack shoreline at Leyte. All that remained between the foe constrain and the
essentially unprotected transports landing U.S. Armed force troops were the escort transporters, destroyers, and destroyer
escorts of Seventh Fleet Task Group 77.4, which included Task Unit 77.4.3, or "Taffy 3," under Rear Admiral
Clifton A. "Ziggy" Sprague.
With his destroyer closest to the Japanese armada, Evans promptly turned his ship and crisscrossed
at the foe at flank speed. Seeing this move, Sprague coordinated the destroyers Hoel (DD 533)
what's more, Heermann (DD 532) and destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) to go with the same pattern. The chief of naval operations too
requested flying machine from the escort bearers to assault the foe with whatever arms they had close by.
Evans had his helmsman guide the ship through foe shell sprinkles on the presumption that
"lightning never strikes twice in a similar place." When the destroyer got inside scope of Kurita's armada,
the authority woofed out the request, "fire torpedoes;" one of ten "fish" detached the bow the Japanese
cruiser Kumano. In any case, now adversary warship and cruiser rounds discovered their stamp, riddling Johnston and
murdering and injuring Sailors.
With two fingers brushed off and his face and middle cut and dying, Evans placidly conned his ship as the
5-inch weapons discharged rounds that appeared to ricochet off the foe
vessels. Just when his destroyer went dead in the water and
could no longer battle back did Evans give the request to desert
transport. Johnston moved over and sank taking the telling
officer with her. In a tribute once in a while found in the fierce Pacific war,
the commander of a Japanese destroyer saluted as he go by the
surviving crew members battling to remain above water in the sea.
The hard battle set up by Evans and the other men of Taffy 3
induced Kurita that he couldn't prevail in his central goal; he
requested his armada back through San Bernardino Strait. Taffy 3 and
Administrator Evans, after death granted the Medal of Honor for
his valor, had spared the American powers off Leyte from annihilation.
Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans and the group of
Johnston (DD 557) at the destroyer's charging in 1943.
NH 63499
Destroyer Johnston one year before her date with predetermination
in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
NH 63195
8 READY SEAPOWER
four adversary plane carrying warships, three war vessels,
eight cruisers, and eight destroyers. Dread of adversary
seapower could never again inconvenience Allied pioneers
as they built the last thrashing of Japan.