Battle off Samar
Part of World War II, Pacific War
The escort carrier USS Gambier Bay, burning from earlier gunfire damage, is bracketed by a salvo from a Japanese cruiser (faintly visible in the background, center-right) shortly before sinking during the Battle off Samar.
Date October 25, 1944 Location The Philippines Result Allied victory
Combatants
United States Australia	Empire of Japan
Commanders
Thomas Sprague	Takeo Kurita
Strength
16 escort aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, 12 destroyer escorts, 400 aircraft	4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 11 destroyers
Casualties
2 escort carriers, 2 destroyers, 1 destroyer escort sunk over 1,000 casualties	3 heavy cruisers sunk, 3 more seriously damaged

The Battle off Samar was the final stage of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history. The battle took place in the Philippine Sea near the Samar area of Leyte Island in the Philippines on October 25, 1944 and involved warships from the United States Navy against warships from the Imperial Japanese Navy. Lacking the ships and armament to stand up against an armored battle force, American destroyers, escort carriers and their aircraft engaged a superior Japanese force of battleships and cruisers. Although they suffered heavy casualties, the US units nevertheless inflicted sufficient damage and chaos to discourage the Japanese and make them withdraw. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... It has been suggested that Greater East Asia War in the Pacific be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the Royal Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ... The USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was a U.S. aircraft carrier. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser (really an uprated guided missile destroyer), launched in 1992. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... A representation of the changes in territory controlled by Allies and Axis powers over the course of the war. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_-_variant. ... Anthem Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Capital Tokyo Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1868–1912 Emperor Meiji  - 1912–1926 Emperor Taishō  - 1926–1989 Emperor Shōwa Prime Minister (many other Prime Ministers preceded the below list)  - 1916–1918 Count Masatake Terauchi  - 1937-1939, 1940-1941 Prince Fumimaro Konoe  - 1941–1944 Hideki... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Thomas Lamison Sprague (October 2, 1894 - September 17, 1972) was an American admiral who served during WWII as commander of the USS Intrepid and took part in the battles of Guam, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. ... Image File history File links Naval_Ensign_of_Japan. ... Categories: People stubs | 1889 births | 1977 deaths | Imperial Japanese Navy admirals | Japanese World War II people ... The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the Royal Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ... USS McFaul underway in the Atlantic Ocean. ... A Destroyer Escort (DE) is classification for a small, comparatively slower warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Navy in World War II. It is usually employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also some protection against aircraft and smaller... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa A battleship is a large, heavily-armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. ... HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Combatants United States, Australia, The Philippines Empire of Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur Walter Krueger Franklin C. Sibert John R. Hodge Ruperto C. Kangleon Tomoyuki Yamashita Sosaku Suzuki Shiro Makino Strength 200,000 U.S. troops 153,000 Australian troops 856,000 Filipino troops 3,189 Filipino guerrillas 55,000 Japanese... Combatants  United States  Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Takeo Kurita (Centre Force) Shoji Nishimura â€  (Southern Force) Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force) Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force) Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts... The Battle of Ormoc Bay was a series of air-sea battles between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Camotes Sea in the Philippines between 11 November 1944 and 21 December 1944, part of the Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II. The battles... Combatants United States Japan Commanders George M. Jones (503rd PRCT) Roscoe B. Woodruff (24th Infantry Division) Rikichi Tsukada (Kembu Group, Japanese Army) Strength 10,000 U.S. troops 1,200 Japanese troops Casualties 148 killed and 271 wounded 200 killed and 375 wounded The Battle of Mindoro presaged the main... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Walter Krueger Tadamichi Kuribayashi Strength 68,000 unknown Casualties none none The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf was an American amphibious operation of WWII carried out in the Phillipines. ... Luzon, home to the Filipino capital Manila, saw the showdown between Japanese commander Tomoyuki Yamashita and General Douglas MacArthur on December 15, 1944. ... Combatants United States and The Philippines Empire of Japan Commanders Henry Mucci Robert Prince Juan Pajota Eduard Jonson unknown Strength 127 U.S. troops Alamo Scouts & 6th Ranger Battalion 200 Filipino guerrillas est. ... Combatants United States and Philippines Japan Commanders Charles P. Hall Henry L.C. Jones Aubrey S. Newman Rikichi Tsukada Nagayoshi Sanenobu Strength 200,000 Filipino troops 35,000 U.S. troops 2,800 Japanese troops Casualties 338 killed 688 wounded 2,400 killed 75 wounded 25 prisoners The Battle for... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Robert S. Beightler (37th Infantry Division) Verne D. Mudge (1st Cavalry Division) Oscar W. Griswold (U.S. XIV Corps) Joseph M. Swing (11th Airborne Division) Iwabuchi Sanji (Manila Naval Defense Forces) Strength 35,000 US troops 16,000 Japanese sailors, marines, and Army troops Casualties... Combatants United States Japan Commanders George M. Jones Edward M. Postlethwait Rikichi Tsukada Strength 7,000 U.S. troops 6,650 Japanese troops Casualties 207 killed 684 wounded 6,600 killed 50 wounded 19 prisoners The Battle for the Recapture of Corregidor , from February 16 to 26, 1945 , on the... Combatants United States and Philippines Japan Commanders Edward Lahti John Ringler Robert Soule Gustavo Ingles Sadaaki Konishi Strength 130 U.S. paratroopers 800 Filipino guerrillas 243 Japanese guards 8,000 Japanese marines near camp Casualties 2 U.S. paratroopers killed 2 wounded 2 Filipino guerrillas killed 4 wounded 80 Japanese... The Invasion of Palawan was part of the final phases of the liberetion of the Philippines from occupation by the Imperial Japanese Army. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Robert Eichelberger (U.S. Eighth Army) Rapp Brush (U.S. 40th Division) William H. Arnold (Americal Division) Sosaku Suzuki (35th Japanese Army) Takeo Manjome (Japanese forces in Cebu) Strength 17,000 U.S. troops, 18,500 Filipino guerrillas 32,000 Japanese troops Casualties 835 killed... Combatants United States and Philippines Japan Commanders Franklin C. Sibert Albert G. Noble Roscoe B. Woodruff Clarence A. Martin Wendell W. Fertig Gyosaku Morozumi Strength 35,000 U.S. troops 400,00 Filipino Troops 24,000 Filipino guerrillas 43,000 Japanese troops Casualties 820 killed 2,880 wounded 10,000... Combatants  United States  Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Takeo Kurita (Centre Force) Shoji Nishimura â€  (Southern Force) Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force) Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force) Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts... The title of largest naval battle in history depends on criteria that may include the number of people and ships involved, the total tonnage of vessels, the size of the battlefield, and the duration of the action. ... The Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east of Philippines. ... Samar, formerly Western Samar, is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. ... This article is about the island. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... USN redirects here. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍   or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun), officially Navy of Empire of Greater Japan, also known as the Japanese Navy or Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force...

Summary

Admiral Takeo Kurita

In the battle, a large force of Japanese battleships, cruisers, and destroyers engaged a force of three US escort aircraft carrier task groups. The US naval forces were taken by surprise because they thought that Admiral Takeo Kurita's force had retreated the previous day. The main US force of fleet carriers and battleships, under the command of William Halsey, Jr., had left the area to attack a Japanese carrier force in what was actually a ruse by the Japanese to lure Halsey's heavy forces away from Leyte. Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita Photo #NH 63694 Source: http://www. ... Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita Photo #NH 63694 Source: http://www. ... The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the Royal Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ... In sociology and anthropology, an action group or task group is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organised collective action. ... Categories: People stubs | 1889 births | 1977 deaths | Imperial Japanese Navy admirals | Japanese World War II people ... William Frederick Bull Halsey, Jr. ... A ruse is an action or plan which is intended to deceive someone. ...

Unprepared to engage in a battle with large-gunned warships, Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague's escort carriers attempted to escape from the Japanese force while US destroyers, destroyer escorts, and carrier aircraft made repeated attacks on Kurita's ships. The escort carrier planes' ordnance was mostly high-explosive bombs and depth charges for their escort and support duties, rather than armour-piercing bombs and torpedoes which would have been much more effective against heavily armoured warships. Nonetheless, Sprague's planes pressed the attack and later continued to dive on enemy ships even though they were out of ammunition. Thomas Lamison Sprague (October 2, 1894 - September 17, 1972) was an American admiral who served during WWII as commander of the USS Intrepid and took part in the battles of Guam, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. ...

Two US destroyers, a destroyer escort, and an escort carrier were sunk by Japanese gunfire. Another US escort carrier was hit and sunk by a Kamikaze aircraft during the battle. Kurita's battleships were driven away from the engagement trying to avoid US destroyer torpedoes; they were unable to regroup in the chaos, while three cruisers were lost due to air attack and several other cruisers were damaged. Due to the ferocity of the US attacks, Kurita was convinced that he was facing a far superior force and withdrew from the battle area, ending the threat to the troop transports and supply ships. When Admiral Halsey got word, his carriers and battleships turned back to pursue Kurita but the Japanese forces had already escaped. USS Bunker Hill was hit by Ogawa (see picture left) and another kamikaze near Kyūshū on May 11, 1945. ...

The battle was one of the last major naval engagements between US and Japanese naval forces in World War II. After this, the Imperial Japanese Navy never again sailed to battle in such large force, but returned to Japan to remain largely inactive for the remainder of the war.

This battle is often depicted as one of the major "what-ifs" in World War II. If Kurita had continued the attack instead of withdrawing, it is likely that the US would have suffered heavy losses in troops and supplies, which would have delayed their capture of the Philippines. It is also likely that had Kurita’s and Halsey's forces met, that would have set the stage for the long awaited "decisive battle" where both sides would have finally been able to pit their largest battleships against each other.

Background

The overall Japanese strategy at Leyte Gulf, a plan known as Shō-Go 1, called for Vice-Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's fleet, known as Northern Force, to lure the United States Third Fleet — under Admiral William Halsey, Jr — away from the Allied landings on Leyte, using an apparently vulnerable force of carriers. The Allied landing forces, now lacking air cover, would then be attacked from the west by Japanese forces including Vice-Admiral Takeo Kurita's command, Center Force, which was based in Brunei. The plan called for Kurita to then enter Leyte Gulf and attack the Allied landing forces. Kurita's force included the battleships Yamato and Musashi, the largest battleships ever built. Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... Jisaburo Ozawa (小沢治三郎 Ozawa Jisaburō, October 2, 1886 – November 9, 1966) was a Japanese admiral during World War II. He was the last Commander-in-Chief of Combined Fleet. ... In the United States Navy, the 3rd Fleet is the fleet responsible for naval activities in the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean. ... William Bull Halsey William Frederick Bull Halsey, Jr. ... Combatants United States, Australia, The Philippines Empire of Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur Walter Krueger Franklin C. Sibert John R. Hodge Ruperto C. Kangleon Tomoyuki Yamashita Sosaku Suzuki Shiro Makino Strength 200,000 U.S. troops 153,000 Australian troops 856,000 Filipino troops 3,189 Filipino guerrillas 55,000 Japanese... It has been suggested that Landing operation be merged into this article or section. ... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... Categories: People stubs | 1889 births | 1977 deaths | Imperial Japanese Navy admirals | Japanese World War II people ... Leyte Gulf is the body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean. ... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa A battleship is a large, heavily-armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. ... Yamato (大和), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Musashi (武蔵), named after the ancient Japanese Musashi Province, was a battleship belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was the second and final ship of the Yamato class to be completed as a battleship. ...

In the lead-up to the battle, on the night of 23 October, two American submarines, USS Dace and USS Darter, spotted Kurita's Center Force entering the Palawan Passage. The two submarines submerged and fired torpedoes, sinking two cruisers and crippling a third. One of the sinking cruisers was the flagship of Center Force. Admiral Kurita had to swim for his life. Center Force was in chaos for hours before Kurita was finally rescued. Kurita transferred his flag to Yamato. The order was then given to continue on to Leyte Gulf. USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ... USS Dace (SS-247), a Gato class submarine, was the first submarine of the United States Navy to be named for any of several small North American fresh-water fishes of the carp family. ... USS Darter (SS-227), a Gato class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the darter, any of many small American fresh-water fishes, closely related to the perch family. ... The torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser (really an uprated guided missile destroyer), launched in 1992. ... A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ... Yamato (大和), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Leyte Gulf is the body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean. ...

Kurita's force entered the Sibuyan Sea, northwest of Leyte, on 24 October. In the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, it was attacked by carrier aircraft and Musashi was sunk. When Kurita turned around, the American pilots assumed he was retreating, but he turned again and made his way through the San Bernardino Strait in the night. The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines that separates the Visayas from the northern Philippine island of Luzon. ... Combatants  United States  Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Takeo Kurita (Centre Force) Shoji Nishimura â€  (Southern Force) Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force) Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force) Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts... The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. ...

The battle off Samar.

Yamato and a heavy cruiser, possibly Tone or Chikuma, in action off Samar.

Download high resolution version (1000x1455, 173 KB)Battle off Samar. ... Download high resolution version (1000x1455, 173 KB)Battle off Samar. ... Japanese battleship Yamato and a heavy cruiser, possibly Tone or Chikuma, in action in the battle off Samar Downloaded from [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Japanese battleship Yamato and a heavy cruiser, possibly Tone or Chikuma, in action in the battle off Samar Downloaded from [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Yamato (大和), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... Tone (利根) was a heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the lead ship of her class. ... Chikuma was a Tone-class heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served in World War II until sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. ...

The forces

The Japanese Center Force now consisted of Yamato, the battleships Nagato, Kongo, and Haruna; the heavy cruisers Maya, Chokai, Myoko, Haguro, Kumano, Suzuya, Chikuma, Tone; the light cruisers Yahagi, and Noshiro; and 13 destroyers. Nagato (Japanese: é•·é–€, named after Nagato province) was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. ... Kongo (金剛) was the Imperial Japanese Navys first super-dreadnought type battlecruiser, and the name-ship of its class, which also included the Hiei, Kirishima, and Haruna. ... Haruna (榛名) was a Kongo class battleship laid down by the Kawasaki Shipbuilding Company at Kobe on 16 March 1912, launched on 14 December 1913 and completed on 19 April 1915. ... Maya (Japanese: まや Kanji: 摩耶) was one of four Takao-class heavy cruisers, designed to be an improvement over the previous Myōkō-class design. ... Chokai was a Takao-class heavy cruiser, armed with ten 8 guns, four 4. ... Myoko (妙高) was the name-ship of the 4-member Myoko class of heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy—the other ships of the class being the Nachi, Ashigara, and Haguro. ... Haguro (羽黒) was the last of the four-member Myoko class of heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... The Kumano (熊野) was one of four Mogami-class cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Suzuya was a Mogami-class heavy cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Chikuma was a Tone-class heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served in World War II until sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. ... Tone (利根) was a heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the lead ship of her class. ... The Yahagi under attack by US planes The Yahagi sinking The Yahagi (矢矧) was an Agano class light cruiser which served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. // Description Displacement: 6650 tons Speed: 35 knots Range: 6300 nm at 18 knots Main armament: six 6 inch (50 calibers) guns... The Noshiro was an Agano class light cruiser which served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Description Displacement: 6650 tons Speed: 35 knots Range: 6300 nm at 18 knots Main armament: six 6 inch (50 calibers) guns (100 pound shell; 600 pound broadside; 23,000 yard range...

They were pitted against an inferior force of three groups of light ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet commanded by Admiral Thomas Kinkaid. Each had six small Casablanca-class escort carriers, and seven or eight lightly armed and unarmored destroyers and/or smaller destroyer escorts. The United States 7th Fleet is a naval military unit based in Yokosuka, Japan. ... Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (3 April 1888 – 17 November 1972) was an admiral of the United States Navy, who commanded the 7th Fleet in the Pacific during World War II. Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid watches landing operations in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, from the bridge of his flagship, USS Wasatch (AGC... The Casablanca class of escort aircraft carriers was the largest class of this type ever built. ...

Admiral Thomas Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.1 ("Taffy 1") consisted of the escort carriers Sangamon, Suwannee, Santee, and Petrof Bay. (The remaining two escort carriers from Taffy 1, Chenango and Saginaw Bay, had departed for Morotai, Indonesia on October 24, carrying "dud" aircraft from other carriers for transfer ashore. They returned with replacement aircraft after the battle.) Thomas Lamison Sprague (October 2, 1894 - September 17, 1972) was an American admiral who served during WWII as commander of the USS Intrepid and took part in the battles of Guam, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. ... The second USS Sangamon (CVE-26) (originally an oiler designated AO-28, then after conversion AVG-26 and later ACV-26), was one of twelve tankers built on a joint Navy-Maritime Commission design later duplicated by the T3-S2-A1 type, was laid down as Esso Trenton (MC hull... USS Suwannee (CVE-27) (originally an oiler AO-33, converted to an escort aircraft carrier AVG/ACV/CVE-27) was laid down on 3 June 1938 at Kearny, New Jersey, by the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, under a Maritime Commission contract as Markay (MC hull 5); launched on 4... The second USS Santee (CVE-29) (originally launched as AO-29, following reclassification as an escort aircraft carrier, was originally ACV-29) was launched on 4 March 1939 as Esso Seakay under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 3) by the Sun Shipbuilding and DryDock Co. ... USS Petrof Bay (CVE–80) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Wash. ... The second USS Chenango (CVE-28) (originally designated as oiler AO-31, after redesignation as escort aircraft carrier, was first ACV-28) was launched on 1 April 1939 as Esso New Orleans by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, in Chester, Pennsylvania, sponsored by Mrs. ... USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) was laid down as MC hull 1119 on 1 November 1943 by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. ... Morotai Island (695 sq mi/1,800 km²) is an island located in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesias Maluku Islands (Moluccas). ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Admiral Felix Stump's Task Unit 77.4.2 ("Taffy 2") consisted of Natoma Bay, Manila Bay, Marcus Island, Kadashan Bay, Savo Island, and Ommaney Bay. Felix Budwell Stump (December 15, 1894–June 13, 1972) was an admiral in the United States Navy and Commander, United States Pacific Fleet from July 10, 1953 until July 31, 1958. ... USS Natoma Bay (CVE–62) was laid down as Begum (MC hull 1099), 17 January 1943, by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. ... USS Manila Bay (CVE-61) was laid down as Bucareli Bay (ACV-61) under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co. ... USS Marcus Island (CVE-77) was laid down as Kanalku Bay under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co. ... USS Kadashan Bay (AVG-76) was reclassified ACV-76 20 August 1942; reclassified CVE-76 15 July 1943 and launched 11 December 1943 by Kaiser Co. ... The first USS Savo Island (CVE-78), originally Kaita Bay (AVG-78), was reclassified ACV-78 on 20 August 1942 and CVE-78 on 15 July 1943; laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1115) on 27 September 1943 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. ... USS Ommaney Bay (CVE–79), formerly MC hull 1116, was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 6 October 1943 by Kaiser Company, Inc. ...

Admiral Clifton Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3") consisted of Fanshaw Bay, St Lo, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, Kitkun Bay, and Gambier Bay. A memorial to Sprague next to the USS Midway in San Diego. ... USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) was a Casablanca-class United States Navy escort aircraft carrier, launched 1 November 1943 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Wash, sponsored by Mrs. ... USS (CVE‑63) was laid down as Chapin Bay 23 January 1943; renamed Midway 3 April 1943; launched 17 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. ... USS White Plains (CVE-66) was laid down on 11 February 1943 at Vancouver, Wash. ... USS Kalinin Bay (CVE-68), originally designated an AVG, was classified ACV-68 on 20 August 1942; laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 26 April 1943 by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. ... USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71) was a US Navy Casablanca class escort carrier launched on 8 November 1943. ... The USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was a U.S. aircraft carrier. ...

Though each escort carrier was relatively small, carrying only 25 planes each, they added up to making available more than 500 planes in all. However, as they were intended to attack against ground forces and submarines, most were armed with machine guns, depth charges and high explosive and anti-personnel bombs, effective against troops, submarines or destroyers, but not against armoured battleships or cruisers. Unlike Halsey's fleet carriers which had been sent to counter the bait of remnants of the Japanese carrier fleet, they lacked both the ammunition and armour to stand in an encounter with a force of battleships. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ...

Battle

Kurita's force passed through San Bernardino Strait at 03:00 on 25 October 1944 and steamed south along the coast of Samar, hoping that Halsey had taken the bait and moved most of his fleet away. The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Samar is an island in the Visayas, which is in the central Philippines. ...

A mixup in communications led Kinkaid to believe that Willis A. Lee's Task Force 34 of battleships was guarding the San Bernardino Strait to the north and that there would be no danger from that direction. Halsey had radioed "am proceeding north with three groups to attack enemy carriers at dawn", which did not cause alarm because Halsey had four carrier groups. Thomas Sprague assumed that Halsey was taking three of his carrier groups to attack and would be leaving one group behind to guard the Strait. But Lee had gone with Halsey (who had, in fact, taken all four of his carrier groups) in pursuit of Ozawa. SNAFU is an acronym meaning things are in a mess – as usual. The most commonly accepted rendering is Situation Normal: All Fucked Up, or, in polite use, Situation Normal: All Fouled Up. ... Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr. ...

Taffy 3 comes under attack

"Taffy 3" was the northernmost of the three units and the one which bore the brunt of Kurita's surface attack.

Rear Admiral Clifton “Ziggy” Sprague’s "Taffy 3" first learned of Kurita's presence when, at 06:37, a pilot on routine patrol spotted the force and attacked with depth charges. The Japanese had come upon Taffy 3 at 06:45, achieving complete tactical surprise. Kurita had not found the silhouettes of the tiny escort carriers in his identification manuals. He mistook the escort carriers for fleet carriers and assumed that he had the whole of the American Third Fleet under the guns of his battleships. The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... A memorial to Sprague next to the USS Midway in San Diego. ... Third Fleet is one of five numbered fleets in the U.S. Navy. ...

Taffy 3’s lookouts observed the antiaircraft fire to the northward. Admiral Sprague was incredulous and demanded identification verification which arrived when the enemy battleships came in sight. The Yamato alone displaced as much as all units of Taffy 3 combined. Within three minutes, the US units were under heavy fire from Kurita's Center Force and the Battle off Samar was thus joined. Combatants  United States  Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Takeo Kurita (Centre Force) Shoji Nishimura â€  (Southern Force) Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force) Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force) Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts...

Immediately, Clifton Sprague directed his carriers to turn to launch their aircraft and withdraw towards a squall to the east, hoping that bad visibility would reduce the accuracy of Japanese gunfire, and ordered the destroyers to create smoke to mask the retreating carriers which drew fire from the Japanese ships. A memorial to Sprague next to the USS Midway in San Diego. ...

US Destroyer counterattack

USS Johnston makes a stand

In an action that author James. D. Hornfisher would call “The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors,” Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans, CO of the destroyer Johnston, which was the closest to the attackers, took the initiative. He ordered his ship to "flank speed, full left rudder," ordering Johnston to directly attack the vastly superior oncoming Japanese ships on his own in what would appear to be a suicidal mission. The nonfiction book The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is the first full narrative account of the Battle off Samar, which author James D. Hornfischer calls the greatest upset in the history of naval warfare. ... In the Royal Navy, United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, a lieutenant commander (lieutenant-commander or Lt Cdr in the RN) is a commissioned officer superior to a lieutenant and inferior to a commander. ... Ernest Edwin Evans (13 August 1908 – 25 October 1944) was an officer of the United States Navy during World War II, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. ... The commanding officer (CO) is the officer in command of a military unit. ... USS McFaul underway in the Atlantic Ocean. ... USS Johnston (DD-557) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Lieutenant John Vincent Johnston. ... initiative, see Initiative (disambiguation). ... A suicide attack is an attack on a military or civilian target, in which an attacker — either an individual or a group — intends to kill others and knows he or she will most likely die (see suicide). ...

The Johnston as a destroyer, was designed to be an AAW/ASW escort that could also provide fire support for infantry units. Its five 5-inch guns and multiple antiaircraft weapons were ineffective against an armoured battleship. Only the Johnston’s ten Mark-15 torpedoes housed in two 5-tube launchers could be effective, but those only if launched within a range of five miles, well within range of enemy gunfire. Had Johnston withdrawn, every escort carrier of Taffy 3 would have been destroyed due to the opposing force’s superior speed and armament. Evans therefore decided to take the chance that they might survive a charge and score a lucky hit. American troops mount an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defence, is any method of engaging military aircraft in combat from the ground. ... Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ...

Weaving to avoid shells, and steering towards splashes, the Johnston approached the cruiser squadron flagship, the heavy cruiser Kumano, for a torpedo run. At a range of 10 miles (20 km), Johnston engaged Kumano with gunfire, aiming for bridge and deck since the 5-inch shells would have bounced off the enemy ship's belt armour. At the same time, Johnston proceeded to close within torpedo range and fired off a salvo, which blew the bow off Kumano, also taking the cruiser Suzuya out of the fight as she stopped to assist. HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... The Kumano (熊野) was one of four Mogami-class cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Suzuya was a Mogami-class heavy cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

At a range of seven miles, the battleship Kongo sent a 14-inch shell through the Johnston’s deck and engine room, reducing Johnston’s speed by half to 14 knots and interrupting electric power to the aft gun turrets. Then three 6-inch shells, possibly from Yamato, struck Johnston’s bridge, causing numerous casualties and wounding Captain Evans in his left hand. The bridge was abandoned and Evans proceeded to steer the ship back towards the fleet from the aft steering column, when he noticed the other destroyers starting to engage the enemy, too.

Emboldened by Johnston’s attack, Sprague gave the order "small boys attack", sending the rest of Taffy 3's destroyers on the assault. Despite the heavy damage, Evans turned the Johnston around and reentered the fight while damage control teams restored power to two of the three aft turrets. Damage control is the term used in the Merchant navy, maritime industry and navies for the emergency control of situations that may hazard the sinking of the ship. ...

The other destroyers attacked the Japanese line, drawing fire and scattering the Japanese formations as ships turned to avoid torpedoes. The Yamato found herself between two torpedoes fired from the destroyer Heermann which were on parallel courses, and for ten minutes, she headed away from the action, unable to turn back for fear of being hit. Heermann, meanwhile, engaged the other Japanese battleships at such a close range that they could not return fire for either inability to sufficiently depress their guns or for fear of hitting their own units. USS Heermann (DD-532) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Fleet Surgeon Lewis Heermann (1779–1833). ...

USS Samuel B. Roberts at sea

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 721 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (740 × 615 pixel, file size: 48 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Taken from official US Naval website. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 721 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (740 × 615 pixel, file size: 48 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Taken from official US Naval website. ... USS (DE-413) was a World War II-era -class destroyer escort in the service of the United States Navy, named after Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts. ...

USS Samuel B. Roberts

At 07:35, the even smaller destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts turned and headed toward the battle, passing by the damaged Johnston that had left. The Roberts had only two 5-inch guns, one fore and aft, and just three Mark-15 torpedoes but still proceeded to attack the heavy cruiser Chokai. With smoke as cover, the Roberts steamed to within two and a half miles of Chokai, coming under fire of the latter’s two forward 8-inch turrets. A Destroyer Escort (DE) is classification for a small, comparatively slower warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Navy in World War II. It is usually employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also some protection against aircraft and smaller... USS (DE-413) was a World War II-era -class destroyer escort in the service of the United States Navy, named after Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts. ... Chokai was a Takao-class heavy cruiser, armed with ten 8 guns, four 4. ...

But Roberts was so close that the shells passed overhead. Once in torpedo range, Roberts salvo of three torpedoes struck the cruiser, and then the Roberts dueled with the Japanese ships for an hour, firing over 600 5-inch shells, and firing at Chokai’s superstructure with 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns while maneuvering at close range. At 08:51, the Japanese finally landed two hits, the second of which destroyed the aft gun turret. With her remaining 5-inch gun, “Roberts” set the bridge of the cruiser Chikuma afire and destroyed the number 3 gun turret, before being pierced again by three 14 inch shells from the Kongo. With a 40-foot hole in her side, the Roberts took on water, and at 09:35, the order was given to abandon the ship that sank 30 minutes later with 89 of her crew. She would go down in history as “The destroyer escort that fought like a battleship.” Chikuma was a Tone-class heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served in World War II until sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. ...

Meanwhile, Sprague had ordered all three Taffy groups to launch their planes with whatever weapons loadout available, even if that were only machine guns or depth charges. Even after many aircraft expended their ammo and ordnance, they made dry runs to threaten and distract the Japanese warships and their gunners.

USS Heermann

Heermann, in a position of comparative safety on the disengaged side of the carriers at the start of the fight, steamed into the action at flank speed through the formation of "baby flattops" who, after launching their last planes, formed a rough circle as they turned toward Leyte Gulf. Smoke and intermittent rain squalls had meanwhile reduced visibility to less than 100 yards, causing Heermann to back emergency full to avoid collision with the destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts and later the destroyer Hoel as she formed column on the screen flagship in preparation of a torpedo attack. USS (DE-413) was a World War II-era -class destroyer escort in the service of the United States Navy, named after Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts. ...

Initiating the run, Heermann engaged the heavy cruiser Chikuma with her 5 inch guns while directing a torpedo attack at Haguro. After firing two torpedoes, Heermann changed course to engage a column of four battleships that had commenced firing upon her. She trained her guns on the battleship Kongo, the column's leader, and launched three torpedoes. Then she quickly closed on the battleship Haruna, the target of her last three torpedoes, which were launched from a mere 4,400 yards. Believing that one of the torpedoes had hit the battleship, she managed to avoid the salvoes which splashed in her wake as she retired. Japanese records claim that the battleship successfully evaded all of the torpedoes from Heermann, but they were slowed down in their pursuit of the American carriers. The Yamato, with her enormous 18.1 inch guns was forced out of the action altogether when, caught between two spreads, she reversed course for almost 10 minutes to escape being hit. HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... Chikuma was a Tone-class heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served in World War II until sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. ... Haguro (羽黒) was the last of the four-member Myoko class of heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa A battleship is a large, heavily-armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. ... Kongo (金剛) was the Imperial Japanese Navys first super-dreadnought type battlecruiser, and the name-ship of its class, which also included the Hiei, Kirishima, and Haruna. ... Haruna (榛名) was a Kongo class battleship laid down by the Kawasaki Shipbuilding Company at Kobe on 16 March 1912, launched on 14 December 1913 and completed on 19 April 1915. ... Yamato (大和), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

Heermann sped to the starboard quarter of the carrier formation to lay more concealing smoke and then charged back into the fight a few minutes later, placing herself between the escort carriers and the column of four enemy heavy cruisers. Here she engaged Japanese cruiser Chikuma in a duel which seriously damaged both ships. A series of 8 inch hits flooded the forward part of the US destroyer, pulling her bow down so far that her anchors were dragging in the water while one of her guns was knocked out. The cruiser also came under heavy air attack during the engagement. Under the combined effect of Heermann’s guns and the bombs, torpedoes, and strafing from carrier-based planes, Chikuma finally disengaged but sank during her attempted withdrawal.

As Chikuma turned away, the heavy cruiser Tone turned her guns on Heermann, who returned fire until she reached a position suitable to resume laying smoke for the carriers. At this point planes from Admiral Felix Stump's "Taffy 2" swooped in to damage Tone so severely that she too broke off action and withdrew. The attacks of the destroyers and aircraft thus saved the outgunned task groups. HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... Tone (利根) was a heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the lead ship of her class. ... Felix Budwell Stump (December 15, 1894–June 13, 1972) was an admiral in the United States Navy and Commander, United States Pacific Fleet from July 10, 1953 until July 31, 1958. ...

Carriers under attack

The carriers of Taffy 3 turned south and withdrew through shellfire. The armor-piercing (AP) shells intended for Halsey's battleships flew right through the unarmoured escort carriers without triggering their fuses. A switch to High Explosive (HE) shells holed, slowed, and sunk USS Gambier Bay at the rear, while most of the others were also damaged. Their single stern-mounted 5-inch (127 mm) anti-aircraft guns returned fire, though they were ineffective against surface ships. Yet, USS St. Lo scored a hit on the magazine of a cruiser, the only known hit inflicted directly by a gun on an aircraft carrier against an opposing surface vessel. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... Armour piercing shell of the APBC 1 Light weight ballistic cap 2 Steel alloy piercing shell 3 Desensitized bursting charge (TNT, Trinitrophenol, RDX...) 4 Fuse (set with delay to explode inside the target) 5 Bourrelet (front) and driving band (rear) An armour piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed...

Two hours into the attack, Captain Evans aboard the Johnston spotted a line of four Japanese destroyers led by the light cruiser Yahagi making a torpedo attack on the fleeing carriers and moved to intercept. Johnston engaged the attacking group with gunfire, forcing them to prematurely fire their torpedoes and miss the carriers. Their gunfire then turned to the weaving Johnston. At 09:10, the Japanese scored a direct hit on one of the forward turrets, knocking it out and setting off many 5-inch shells that were stored in the turret. Her damaged engines stopped, leaving her dead in the water. While the opposition closed in on the disabled destroyer, Johnston was hit so many times that one survivor recalled "they couldn't patch holes fast enough to keep her afloat." At 09:45 (2 hours and 45 minutes into the battle), Captain Evans finally gave the order to abandon ship. The Johnston sank 25 minutes later with 186 of her crew. Captain Evans abandoned ship with his crew, but was never seen again. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ...

USS St. Lo

Steaming about 60 miles east of Samar before dawn 25 October, St. Lo launched a 4-plane anti-submarine patrol while the remaining carriers of Taffy 3 prepared for the day’s initial air strikes against the landing beaches. The Battle off Samar began at 06:47 when Ensign Bill Brooks, piloting one of the ASW planes from St. Lo, reported sighting a large Japanese force comprising four battleships, six heavy and light cruisers, and ten to twelve destroyers approaching from the westnorthwest, only 17 miles away. At the same time, lookouts on St. Lo spotted the characteristic pagoda-like superstructures of Japanese battleships on the horizon. Admiral Sprague ordered "Taffy 3" to turn south at flank speed. Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita’s force steadily closed and opened fire on Taffy 3 around 06:58. Samar, formerly Western Samar, is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. ... Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ... Categories: People stubs | 1889 births | 1977 deaths | Imperial Japanese Navy admirals | Japanese World War II people ...

St. Lo and the other five CVEs dodged in and out of rain squalls and managed to launch all available fighter and torpedo planes with whatever armament they had handy (general purpose bombs and even depth charges.) The carriers chased salvos from enemy cruisers and battleships, and ordered the pilots “to attack the Japanese task force and proceed to Tacloban airstrip, Leyte, to rearm and refuel". As salvoes fell increasingly nearer St. Lo, her planes continued to strike the enemy force with bombs, rockets, and gunfire. The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the Royal Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ...

By 07:38, the Japanese cruisers, approaching from St. Lo’s port quarter, had closed to within 14,000 yards. St. Lo responded to their salvoes with rapid fire from her single 5-inch gun, claiming three hits on a Tone-class cruiser.

For the next hour and a half, Admiral Kurita's ships closed in on Taffy 3, with his nearest destroyers and cruisers firing from as close as 10,000 yards on the port and starboard quarters of the St. Lo. Many salvoes straddled the ship, landed close aboard, or passed directly overhead. Throughout the running gun battle, the carriers and their escorts were laying a particularly effective smoke screen that Admiral Sprague credited with greatly inhibiting the Japanese gunfire accuracy. Even more effective were the attacks by the destroyers and destroyer escorts at point-blank range against the Japanese destroyers and cruisers. All the while, Kurita's force was under incessant attack by Taffy 3 aircraft and planes from the two other US carrier units to the south.

At 09:15, the Japanese destroyers which had been engaged by USS Johnston launched a premature torpedo attack on the escort carriers from 10,500 yards. The torpedoes were reaching end-of-run as they approached their target, broaching the surface. An Avenger torpedo bomber from St. Lo, piloted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Waldrop, strafed and exploded two torpedoes in the wake of sister ship USS Kalinin Bay. Grumman TBF Avengers in 1942 The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was an American torpedo bomber, developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and used by a large number of air forces around the world. ... A Lieutenant, Junior Grade, is a division officer in the United States Navy. ... USS Kalinin Bay (CVE-68), originally designated an AVG, was classified ACV-68 on 20 August 1942; laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 26 April 1943 by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. ...

Under heavy attack from the air and incessant fire from American destroyers and destroyer escorts, the Japanese cruisers broke off action and turned northward at 09:20.

USS Kalinin Bay

Kalinin Bay accelerated to flank speed; and, despite fire from three enemy cruisers, launched her planes, ordering the pilots "to attack the Japanese task force and proceed to Tacloban airstrip, Leyte, to rearm and refuel." As salvos fell increasingly nearer Kalinin Bay, her planes, striking the enemy force with bombs, rockets, and gunfire, inflicted heavy damage on the closing ships.

As the trailing ship in the escort carrier van, Kalinin Bay came under intense enemy fire. Though partially protected by chemical smoke, by a timely rain squall, and by counterattacks of screening destroyers and destroyer escorts, she took the first of 15 direct hits at 07:50. Fired from an enemy battleship, the large caliber shell (14 inch or 16 inch) struck the starboard side of the hangar deck just abaft the forward elevator.

By 08:00, the Japanese cruisers, which were steaming off her port quarter, closed to within 18,000 yards. Kalinin Bay responded to their straddling salvoes with rapid fire from her single 5-inch gun, to which the opposing force reacted with intensified fire. Three 8-inch armour-piercing projectiles struck her within minutes of each other. At 08:25, the carrier scored a direct hit from 16,000 yards on the No. 2 turret of a Nachi-class heavy cruiser, and a second hit shortly thereafter forced the Japanese ship to withdraw temporarily from formation.

At 08:30, five Japanese destroyers steamed over the horizon off her starboard quarter. The closing ships opened fire from about 14,500 yards; and, as screening ships engaged the cruisers and laid down concealing smoke, Kalinin Bay shifted her fire and for the next hour traded shots with the guns of Japan's Destroyer Squadron 10. Though no destroyer fire hit Kalinin Bay directly, she took ten more 8-inch hits from the now obscured cruisers. One shell passed through the flight deck and into the communications area, where it destroyed all radar and radio equipment.

At 09:15, an Avenger torpedo-bomber from the doomed St. Lo strafed and exploded two torpedoes in Kalinin Bay’s wake about 100 yards astern, and a shell from the latter's 5 inch gun deflected a third from a collision course with her stern.

At about 09:30, as the Japanese ships fired parting salvoes and reversed course northward, Kalinin Bay scored a direct hit amidships on a retreating destroyer. Five minutes later she ceased fire and retired southward with the surviving ships of "Taffy 3." At 1050 the task unit came under a concentrated air attack. During the 40-minute battle the first attack from a Kamikaze unit in World War II, all escort carriers but Fanshaw Bay were damaged. One plane of Lt. Yukio Seki's Shikishima squadron crashed through St. Lo’s flight deck and exploded her torpedo and bomb magazine, inflicting terminal damage. Four diving planes attacked Kalinin Bay from astern and the starboard quarter, two of which were shot down close aboard, while a third plane crashed into the port side of the flight deck, damaging it severely. The fourth hit destroyed the aft port stack. USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) was a Casablanca-class United States Navy escort aircraft carrier, launched 1 November 1943 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Wash, sponsored by Mrs. ...

Kalinin Bay suffered extensive structural damage during the morning's intense action, as well as five dead among her 60 casualties. Twelve direct hits were later confirmed by damage plus two large caliber near misses. Ironically, it was the two near misses that exploded under her counter that threatened the ship's survival.

Japanese take hits

Taken under 5 inch gunfire by the destroyers and destroyer escorts, the Japanese cruiser Chokai was hit amidships, starboard side, most likely by the carrier USS Kalinin Bay. A secondary explosion caused by the armed torpedoes on her decks knocked out the engines and rudder. Chokai dropped out of formation. USS Kalinin Bay (CVE-68), originally designated an AVG, was classified ACV-68 on 20 August 1942; laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 26 April 1943 by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. ...

Within minutes, an American aircraft dropped a 500 lb bomb on her forward machinery room. Fires began to rage around the Chokai and she went dead in the water. Later that day she was scuttled by torpedoes from the destroyer Fujinami. Fujinami ) was a Yugumo-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

After the destroyer USS Johnston put a Mk-15 torpedo into the Kumano, blowing off her bow, she retired towards the San Bernadino strait where she suffered minor damage from aerial attack. USS Johnston (DD-557) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Lieutenant John Vincent Johnston. ... // By country Europe DCN BlackShark 533 mm torpedo (Modern) EuroTorp A244 324 mm torpedo (Modern) EuroTorp MU90 Impact 324 mm torpedo (Modern) France DCN F17 533 mm torpedo (Modern) Germany G7a torpedo (WWII, wet heater) G7e torpedo (WWII, electric, some versions with passive homing) G7es torpedo (WWII, electric, dedicated passive... The torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ...

The Chikuma engaged the U.S. escort carriers, helping to sink Gambier Bay, but came under fire from the American destroyer Heermann and heavy air attack. Chikuma inflicted severe damage on Heermann, but was soon hit by an aerial torpedo attack and immobilized. Her crew was taken off by the destroyer Nowaki and Chikuma was scuttled in the late morning of on 25 October 1944. While withdrawing from the battle area, Nowaki was herself sunk, with the loss of all but one of Chikuma’s surviving crewmen. The USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was a U.S. aircraft carrier. ... USS Heermann (DD-532) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Fleet Surgeon Lewis Heermann (1779–1833). ... Nowaki was a Kagero-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Kurita withdraws

Though many of Kurita's ships had not been damaged, the air and destroyer attacks had broken up his formations, and he had lost tactical control. The ferocity of the determined, concentrated sea and air attack from Taffy 3 had already sunk or crippled the heavy cruisers Chōkai, Kumano, and Chikuma. Signals from Ozawa had disabused him of the notion that he was attacking the whole of the 3rd Fleet, which meant that the longer he continued to engage, the more likely it was that he would suffer devastating air strikes from Halsey's main attack carriers which were even more threatening than the tiny force of Taffy 3. Chokai was a Takao-class heavy cruiser, armed with ten 8 guns, four 4. ... The Kumano (熊野) was one of four Mogami-class cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Chikuma was a Tone-class heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy that served in World War II until sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. ...

Calculating that the fight was not worth further losses, Kurita broke off the engagement at 09:20 with the order: "all ships, my course north, speed 20". As he retreated north and then west through the San Bernardino Strait, the smaller and heavily damaged American force continued to press the battle. (While watching the Japanese retreat, Sprague heard a nearby sailor exclaim: "Damn it, boys, they're getting away!") In retreat, Nagato, Haruna and Kongo were severely damaged from the torpedoes of Taffy 3's "tin can" destroyers and escorts.

When Admiral Halsey got word, his carriers and battleships turned back to pursue Kurita but the Japanese forces had already escaped.

Aftermath

Tactically, the Japanese had succeeded in luring Halsey's force away, leaving only light forces standing in their way. Admiral Kurita's battleships and cruisers were in a good position to cause serious damage to US troops and supplies which would have potentially delayed their invasion of the Philippines. Despite earlier losses and sacrifices in the Leyte campaign, the Japanese managed to have victory within reach. Combatants  United States  Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Takeo Kurita (Centre Force) Shoji Nishimura â€  (Southern Force) Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force) Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force) Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts...

But the Japanese were unable to exploit this opportunity. Taffy 3 had turned back the most powerful surface fleet which Japan had sent to sea since the Battle of Midway. Domination of the skies, superior seamanship, and prudent, timely maneuvers, and tactical errors by the Japanese Admiral helped to nullify the overwhelming odds against the American task force. Of all of the battles in the Pacific War, this best demonstrates the potency of aircraft versus surface ships. Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi † Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier...

From a tactical standpoint, the lopsided battle had resulted in Americans losing one escort carrier (Gambier Bay), two destroyers (Hoel and Johnston), one destroyer escort (Samuel B. Roberts) sunk, and dozens of aircraft. Four other U.S. destroyers were damaged. Over a thousand American sailors and pilots gave their lives that day. (Remarkably, the destroyer Heermann finished the battle with only six of her crew dead, despite her duel with Japanese battleships many times her size.) The USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was a U.S. aircraft carrier. ... USS Hoel (DD-533) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Lieutenant Commander William R. Hoel. ... USS Johnston (DD-557) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Lieutenant John Vincent Johnston. ... USS (DE-413) was a World War II-era -class destroyer escort in the service of the United States Navy, named after Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts. ...

Against this, the Japanese were forced to scuttle three heavy cruisers, and one limped back seriously damaged without a bow.

More importantly, this ended Japanese attempts to defend the Philippines by sea, which would cut off their Navy's supply of oil in Southeast Asia. Compounded with their losses in the earlier battles of the Leyte campaign, the surviving ships of the fleet returned to Japan where they would mostly sit out the remainder of the war. Combatants  United States  Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Takeo Kurita (Centre Force) Shoji Nishimura â€  (Southern Force) Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force) Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force) Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts...

Presidential Unit Citation

Taffy 3 was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation "For extraordinary heroism in action against powerful units of the Japanese Fleet during the Battle off Samar, Philippines, October 25, 1944. ...the gallant ships of the Task Unit waged battle fiercely against the superior speed and fire power of the advancing enemy ...two of the Unit's valiant destroyers and one destroyer escort charged the battleships point-blank and, expending their last torpedoes in desperate defense of the entire group, went down under the enemy's heavy shells ... The courageous determination and the superb teamwork of the officers and men who fought the embarked planes and who manned the ships of Task Unit 77.4.3 were instrumental in effecting the retirement of a hostile force threatening our Leyte invasion operations and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service." ^[1] Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941 (the date of the Attack on... Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941 (the date of the Attack on...

References

Books

• Cutler, Thomas (2001). The Battle of Leyte Gulf: 23–26 October 1944. Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-243-9. 
• D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X. 
• Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1. 
• Field, James A. (1947). The Japanese at Leyte Gulf;: The Sho operation. Princeton University Press. ASIN B0006AR6LA. 
• Friedman, Kenneth (2001). Afternoon of the Rising Sun: The Battle of Leyte Gulf. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-756-7. 
• Hornfischer, James D. (2004). The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. Bantam. ISBN 0-553-80257-7. 
• Hoyt, Edwin P.; Thomas H Moorer (Introduction) (2003). The Men of the Gambier Bay: The Amazing True Story of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-643-6. 
• Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3. 
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (2004 (reissue)). Leyte, June 1944 – January 1945, vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Champaign, Illinois, U.S.A.: University of Illinois Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-252-07063-1. 
• Potter, E. B. (2005). Admiral Arleigh Burke. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-692-5. 
• Potter, E. B. (2003). Bull Halsey. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-691-7. 
• Thomas, Evan (2006). Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941–1945. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-5221-7. 
• Willmott, H. P. (2005). The Battle Of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34528-6. 

The nonfiction book The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is the first full narrative account of the Battle off Samar, which author James D. Hornfischer calls the greatest upset in the history of naval warfare. ... RAdm Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976), USN historian Samuel Eliot Morison, RAdm, USNR (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian, notable for producing scholarly works that were both authoritative and highly readable, an ability recognized with two Pulitzer Prizes. ... The History of United States Naval Operations in World War II is a 15-volume account of the United States Navy in World War II, written by eminent historian Samuel Eliot Morison and published by Little, Brown and Company between 1947 and 1962. ... Evan Thomas Evan Thomas is an American journalist and author. ... Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ...

Reports

• War Damage Report A-3(420), Summary of War Damage - December 8, 1943 to December 7, 1944, pp28. BuShips, Design Division, Preliminary Design Section, War Damage Assessment Team. 1 June 1945.
• War Damage Report #60, Escort Carriers Gunfire, Bomb, Kamikaze Damage and Loss During World War II, BuShips, Design Division, Preliminary Design Section, War Damage Assessment Team.

Web

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Battle of Leyte Gulf

• Battle Experience: Battle for Leyte Gulf [Cominch Secret Information Bulletin No. 22]
• Task Force 77 Action Report: Battle of Leyte Gulf
• "Turkey Trots to Water" — detailed description of the battle from battleship.org
• Order of battle: Samar.
• "Glorious Death: The Battle of Leyte Gulf" by Tim Lanzendörfer
• battle-of-leyte-gulf.com
• The Battle Off Samar - Taffy III at Leyte Gulf website by Robert Jon Cox
• Return to the Philippines: public domain documents from ibiblio.org
• The Battle for Leyte Gulf Revisited
• Timeline for USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413)
• Animated History of The Battle of Leyte Gulf
• Japan's TA-Operation: A Blueprint for Disaster by Irwin Kappes

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

Audio/visual media

• Lost Evidence of the Pacific: The Battle of Leyte Gulf. History Channel. TV. Based on book by Hornfischer, James D. (2004). The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.

• Dogfights: Death of the Japanese Navy. History Channel. TV. Based on book, and with interview by Hornfischer, James D. (2004). The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.

Notes