Battle Off Samar Island, Philippines October 1944

[Chukpike]

Between 0730 and 0930 October 25Th, 1944 Task Unit 77.4.3 (Taffy 3) of the US NAVY consisting of 6 CVEs (escort carriers), 3 DDs (destroyers) and 4 DE (destroyer escorts) fought off the Japanese Center Force consisting of 4 IJN battleships including the Yamato, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers.

During the initial contact the universal feeling was to run from the Japanese force. All the US screening DDs & DEs started making smoke to hide the carriers from the Japanese guns. DD 557 Johnston turned to the enemy formation and began a torpedo attack on the Japanese.

Aboard DE 413 USS Samuel B. Roberts after general Quarters was sounded Captain Copeland made this announcement:
A large Japanese fleet has been contacted. They are 15 miles away and headed in our direction. They are believed to have four Battleships, 8 cruisers, and a number of destroyers.
"This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."

Taffy 3 commander Rear Admiral Cifton A. F. Sprague gave the following order to his screen commander: "Stand by to form two torpedo groups, big boys in one group(DDS) and little fellas(DEs) in another group."

At the end of 2 hours the commander of the Japanese Center Force Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita broke off the engagement.

Battle off Samar

http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Battle_off_Samar


The whole Japanese Sho 1 operation would cover the Battle of Leyte Gulf from Oct 23-26. This is considered to be the largest naval battle in history.

 

[fypi]

Samar and Leyte islands are very important in Philippine history. It was in Limasawa, Leyte that Magellan first landed to start the Spanish conquest of the entire country.

During American occupation, it was in Balangiga, Samar island where Filipino rebels overran and killed an entire garrison of American troops and the US Gen. Jacob ' Howling Jake ' Smith retaliated by ordering the whole island turned into a ' howling wilderness ' by killing and burning indiscriminately.

Then in world war 2, the Battle of Leyte Gulf took place, considered the largest naval battle in history, It was also in Palo, Leyte, where MacArthur landed to start the re-taking of the islands from the Japanese.

 

[AVON]

Re: Battle Off Samar Island, Philippines October 1944 info

I really don't understand why Adm. Kurita did not have decent information that the carriers he was facing were escort or small carriers, not fleet carriers. That he was facing destroyers and destroyer escorts not destroyers and cruisers. Were his look-outs really that bad? That the aircraft that were attacking were F-4F Wildcats not F-6F Hellcats. The force Kurita was facing had thirteen ships. When the Americans were spotted, to order his fleet into the formation he desired. Kurita was passive but his captains of the destroyers and crusier were aggressive and charged out on their own, resulting in total dis-organization.
His fleet had 4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and, 11 destroyers. That amount fire power need not fear Adm. Oldendorf's fleet, which had destroyed Adm. Nishimura southern fleet in a night battle. This would be a day battle and the odds would be more even.