USS Johnston - Guide 128

[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@warrenlehmkuhleii8472]

How did the US navy’s naming conventions come about? Like people for destroyers, cities for cruisers, states for battleships, and what ever the navy wanted Aircraft Carriers.

[@strub6732]

If the atomic bombs had not been dropped how would the British/US Navys change focus/doctrine for the blockade of Japan.

[@scipioafricanus6417]

How alrge was the japanese destroyer squadron at Samara?

[@Silvah14]

What were the plans for the hood refit if it was able to undergo a refit?

[@Lintary]

I know we had the rather fun tale of what happened if we put the CVN Enterprise into WW2, but I was wondering how about a still modern ship, but more akin to (forgive national pride in ships) a De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate would fair. Cause while sure she has a few harpoons, but would those anti air missiles be of any use and even than with the numbers thrown around would it have made a difference? Also thinking from the aspect that modern naval vessels do not exactly pack armour and once she is out of missiles all that remains is a 127mm gun which may be a lot more effective than those from WW2, but it is still only going to be a 127mm. Also they seem to be slow compared to WW2 vessels.

[@philipcoggins9512]

Had a family friend on the JOHNSTON. At the beginning of the battle, Capt. Evans called for the diesel and fuel oils to be mixed to provide more power to the engines. The Engineering officer protested as that would foul the engines and make them harder to clean. Evan’s response was “I don’t expect to be alive in 3 hours...”

[@mahoslash]

That was badass and sad at the same moment.

[@hiccurps]

Wow did your family friend survive the battle and sinking of the Johnston ?

[@philipcoggins9512]

@@hiccurps He said luck and the almighty.

[@Isolder74]

@Charlie K yes by raising the octane of the fuel but the higher pressure and impurities will destroy the seals and foul everything up.

[@ONECOUNT]

Captain Evans was correct in all accounts, a very brave man!

[@frostwolf1907]

She's been found gentlemen, and her crew has been keeping her clean for the cameras, knowing she had one more record to break.

[@aaronstorey9712]

The Sammy B beat that one unfortunately

[@frostwolf1907]

@aaronstorey9712 I'd argue that's far from unfortunate. It's good they both get the limelight, in my opinion, even if johnston didn't have it for too long. It's criminal how little recognition the battle gets, so it's good that they hold a more public record. Maybe someone will wonder how they sunk and dive down the rabbit hole to join us.

[@kumaflamewar6524]

​@@frostwolf1907 I like this take. The men of the Samuel B Robert's also bravely ran into those guns, but luck is a fickle mistress. I'm glad there's more attention on both vessels and their men.

[@frostwolf1907]

@kumaflamewar6524 As am I. When I learned of the battle as a kid, I immediately began searching for the movies that i was certain had to have been made about the US Navy's finest hour, and the men that won it. Days later, with hundreds of websites and even my local library scoured for any and all related media, I came up with only 2 semi mainstream entries. A reference for the last stand of the tin can sailors, as my library didn't have a copy, and the documentary that introduced me to the battle, S1 E5 of Ultimate Warfare, Courage at Sea. To this day, I simply can't comprehend why the story of destroyers standing up to battleships and WINNING hasn't been told to the public at large, at this point, any attention they may get is welcome in my opinion.

[@crazysteve9390]

Sounds like Evans might've pulled up alongside the Yamato and tried to board her with his crew with swords and pistols if he had the chance

[@spider0804]

I don't think the ship had a gender, but most certainly the crew would refer to a ship as she as is tradition :P.

[@kokofan50]

You know, there are crazier true events.

[@bkjeong4302]

ONECOUNT
The bridge wasn’t on fire, it was destroyed.

[@ONECOUNT]

@@bkjeong4302 I am sorry for the confusion. When I said on fire i meant destroyed by fire such that you could not access that superstructure or get to the forward guns. And yes that superstructure was built with the bridge in it which had received a direct hit. You might have thought I meant a movie style fire that a couple of cans of fire retardent would put out and they could reoccupy it and take back control of the ship. A nautical fire would consume everything within the structure and effectively destroy it.

[@dextercochran4916]

Captain Evans was probably thinking about doing just that, but then the engine took a hit and Yamato was saved from a most humiliating defeat simply because it was too fast.

[@diegoviniciomejiaquesada4754]

They found her... In the depth, twice deeper than the Titanic... With her guns still aiming at the enemy. Now Captain Evans can rest in peace.

[@robertyoung3992]

twice? he main wreckage lies @ 21,180 feet 8,860 feet deeper than the Titanic

[@robomaster20]

@@robertyoung3992 it lies 4/5 of twice as deep. Factor in that the steel balls of the crew weren’t on board when she sank is the only reason she isn’t 5 times as deep as the Titanic

[@derraado062goias]

@@robertyoung3992
Titanic está numa profundidade a quase 4.000 pés.
pesguise

[@marymcandrew947]

Amen

[@rerickf]

Don't forget the rest of Captain Evans men that went down that day

[@petersouthernboy6327]

DD-557 was reportedly three knots slower than other Fletchers due to the UNUSUALLY LARGE TESTICLES affixed to its keel.

[@rogerhinman5427]

EPIC! Thank you that badly needed belly laugh :)

[@TheBurcham1]

rumor has it Cmdr Evans used a wheel barrow to carry his massive balls around the ship.

[@victorwaddell6530]

@@TheBurcham1 CDR Evan's 'nards reguired a party of sideboys to come aboard . The Bosun's Mates had to pipe the Skipper aboard twice .

[@bobbrown5460]

👏👏👏

[@howardfortyfive9676]

I'm betting those Marge Testicles were *BRASS AS WELL doncha think?!?*

[@sensys1400]

The last known survivor of the Johnston passed on May 7, 2022. Charles Powell, aka Carlos Cerna, was a bridge talker and range radar operator on the Johnston. Carlos spent some 52 hours in the water after the Johnston sunk.

[@TrinalHydra]

The Yamato was legendary for its existence.
The Johnston was legendary for its performance.

[@stevewhite3424]

What an awesome comment!!!

[@unluckyirish2763]

Aint that the fuckin truth. That candle burned half as long, but man oh man was it burning bright

[@lancerevell5979]

The little ship fought way above it's weight class! 😎👍

[@seanbigay1042]

@@lancerevell5979 Ridiculously so -- considering that just one of Yamato's three main gun turrets weighed as much as ALL of USS Johnston.

[@crazycirculation]

Don't forget about the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) from the same battle, "the destroyer escort that fought like a battleship."

[@donjones4719]

I love reading about this battle. The task force ships, and these 2 especially, attacked so aggressively that the Japanese thought they were facing a much more powerful force, and withdrew. If they'd pressed their attack they could have sunk a lot more U.S. ships.

[@questionreality6003]

No one forgets SBRoberts and Hoel and Heerman happily turned around to and did fantastic fighting BECAUSE OF THE EXAMPLE OF THE TASKFORCE'S FIGHTING LADY DISOBEYING KINKAID AND WHEELING AROUND TO CHARGE BACK TO CENTERFORCE TO AT FLANK SPEED ATTACK IT. But Commander Evans is why the M of Honor went to where it did !) --- Ernest Evans inspired Samuel B Roberts' best and fantastic fighting response !! Evans inspired the best in his Taffy 3 that no doubt loved him for it.The overall commander was retreating! If not for Evans, it is obvious what would have happened to the baby flattops and the 200,000 + men, including MacArthur!!, had Center Force been allowed to approach the Leyte beaches and unleash its Yamato based power!! EVANS WAS HAVING NONE OF THAT, SWORN TO GO TO BATTLE, LITERALLY BREAKING RANKS AND SPINNING HIS SHIP AROUND TO CHARGE BACK AT THE ENEMY AT FULL SPEED -----HE WAS WHY THE BATTLE OFF THE ISLE OF SAMAR WENT THE WAY IT DID! -- THE NAVY ULTIMATELY KNEW WHO EARNED THE MEDAL OF HONOR THAT HISTORIC AMAZING DAY - THE MAN WHO CAUSED THE WINNING OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE BATTLE IN NAVAL HISTORY, WHO INSURED IT HAPPENED! :) I'm not an American Indian banner waver , but Japan had no idea the fighting metal they were about to encounter in this one man taking the lead and by example saying to the other FEARLESS Taffy 3 ships: "FOLLOW ME ... !". ................... Salute and RIP in Davy Jones Locker, Commander Ernest E. Evans ................

[@Hanekem]

serendipity had the Robert's callsing for that day being "Dreadnought"

[@larrygoerke9081]

I posted this earlier, and I've re-posted it a few times lately, as there seems to be growing interest in the Battle of Samar. By the way, there's a great monument to the related Battle Of Leyte in San Diego, California, if you're ever out & down that way. Link is in the text, but I read this in print earlier; I cannot remember where ...
Roberts was commanded by LCDR Copeland. Transcript of Copeland's last orders to his CHENG LT "Lucky" Towbridge: "Lucky, this is the Captain....we are going on a torpedo attack and I have rung up full speed; we are going in at 20 knots. As soon as we fire our fish, I will ring up flank speed and I want you to hook on everything you've got. Don't worry about your reduction gears or your boilers or anything, because there's all hell being thrown at us up here, and we are just fortunate we haven't been hit yet, so don't worry about it." Mr. Towbridge was lost with Roberts. This is from www.bosamar.com/pages/de413 - but I'd read it years ago elsewhere. To the men of Roberts & Johnston - CHEERS
This is from the same source, ROBERTS, talking about JOHNSTON ... It was during the time of her brave torpedo attack that ROBERTS got a first-hand look at how the gallant destroyers of Taffy 3 were fairing…. "...about the time of the torpedo attack, the destroyer JOHNSTON came by us and I saw her for the last time. That picture is engraved in my memory...She had taken a terrific beating. Her bridge was battered and had been abandoned. Her foremast, a steel tubular mast...had been split from shellfire and then bent down over itself...the mast was doubled over on itself and dangling down with its radar swinging just like a pendulum.... It gave me a hurt feeling to look at it. Her searchlights had been knocked off. One torpedo mount was gone and her No. 3 gun had completely disappeared. As she went by...she was limping along at a pretty slow speed...I saw her Captain. He was a very big man with coal black hair...he was standing on the fantail conning his ship by calling down through an open scuttle hatch into the steering engine room. I can see him now. He was stripped to the waist and was covered with blood. His left hand was wrapped in a handkerchief...he wasn't over one hundred feet from us as he passed us on our starboard side...he turned a little and waved his hand at me. That's the last time I saw him because JOHNSTON was sunk, too, a few minutes after we were."
To the men of Roberts & Johnston - CHEERS! Lift a glass today Shipmates!

[@larrygoerke9081]

@@questionreality6003 WELL SAID. WELL SAID.

[@richardkotorac5423]

Who needs a fleet when you have a fletcher class destroyer.

[@PepRock01]

Who needs a fleet when you have the Johnston

[@christosvoskresye]

@@PepRock01 Capt. Evans would have charged the Yamato in an inflatable dinghy. And forced the Yamato to retreat!

[@bkjeong4302]

christosvoskresye
Actually it was Hoel and Heerman that turned that particular ship around (for about 20 minutes of the battle) with their torpedoes.
Edit: and it was air attacks (armed with actual anti-ship munitions) from CVEs that ensures the Japanese retreat.

[@johngregory4801]

It wasn't the enemy fire that sank the Johnston...
She couldn't bear the weight of the balls her captain and crew had.

[@Vespuchian]

Sail me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!

[@VintageCarHistory]

I served on an Adams Class Destroyer (USS Henry B. Wilson), which is just a Forrest Sherman class with missile launchers. They were, as far as livability, just part of the updated family of the Fletchers (Sumners, Gearings, etc). Pound for pound, these ships were tough son-of-a-bitches. In the late 1980's, there really wasn't any other class of ship with the shear firepower per ton than these pups. And, as a tin-can sailor myself, the tales of Cpt. Evans and the Johnston are legendary.
And I do have a Naval tale to tell- and I'm sure Drachinifel will look into it being the historian he is but it's a true tale. In 1987, while serving on the Hammerin' Hank, I went to a rummage sale where I bought an old sea chest. In it, amongst other things, was a midshipman's training manual from the US Naval Academy from 1903. Inside it were also a number of artifacts from the midshipman who had the manual- letters from home, laundry receipts, test scores from the academy, etc.
After the Gulf War I was assigned to the USS Crommelin in Hawaii. And, only a few days after my assignment, I went to visit the Arizona Memorial. And I freaked out. The midshipman who had the book was Franklin Van Valkenburgh. And I didn't realize who he was until that moment- the captain of the USS Arizona on Dec 7th, 1941
Any US Sailor knows that the Arizona was and is still commissioned and is under the command of COMPAC fleet. I ran to the headquarters, freaking out, burst into the building quarterdeck screaming, "I gotta talk to the admiral! I gotta talk to the admiral!" (I was an FC2 at the time, and in dungarees). He heard the commotion and came out to the quarterdeck. He asked, "What's all the commotion?" I turned to him, put the book in his hands and said, "Look at this, Sir!"
He at first gave it an appraising an cursory look until he saw the name in it. Then his eyes got like dinner plates. He looked at me and asked, "Where did you find this?!?" I replied, "I've had it for years but I didn't realize what it was until today."
The Admiral handed the book back to me and said, "Petty Officer Cunningham, this is an incredible and valuable find. What did you want to do with it?" I replied, "Sir, it belongs to the ship and my shipmates. Take it!" I thrust it into his hands and ran the hell out of there, went back to my ship and spent the next two hours trying to remember how to breathe.
The book, as well as many of the artifacts that were in it, are now on display at the USS Arizona museum. And, about 2 months later (after it was authenticated) the Admiral himself promoted me to FC1.

[@quikdrw]

that's a great story

[@lancerevell5979]

Outstanding! Having trouble typing, eyes getting damp. A true bit of history there.

[@volrosku.6075]

Polish destroyer: acts like a mad lad fighting one BB trolling it all night.
USS Johnson: HOLD MY BEER!

[@misterjag]

Aboard the USS Gambier Bay was a contingent of Polish naval officers observing. 35 were killed during the battle.

[@ForceSmart]

Very interesting. I just looked it up to confirm it. Thanks for sharing this fact. I'm sure those brave Polish sailors did a helluva good job in the fighting too! www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/usn/CVE-73.html

[@hiccurps]

misterjag Thanks for that info. I never knew that.

[@questionreality6003]

Yay Poland!!!!: Poland also had the most successful squadron in the Battle of Britain against the Nazi buggers' Luftwaffe. !!!!!

[@joedunleavy7066]

It's the USS Johnston you left the T out

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Japanese navy: Your coming to me instead of running away your coming to me
Uss Johnson: I Can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer

[@julianarnott5184]

Sail me closer i want to hit them with my sword

[@grantreichel6870]

"Just wait a little longer, boys, we're suckering them into 40mm range." Unidentified officer aboard one of the escort carriers of Taffy 3.

[@paradoxless5596]

On the USS White Plains, if IIRC.

[@manofcultura]

Jojo reference upvoted.

[@tommypetraglia4688]

I once stared down a no-neck roided-out Ny Yankee fan sprinkler fiitter who stood one head over me.
He turned away saying 'You're a crazy fuck' after I said...
You're bigger than me and gonna hurt me but have your buddies call 2 ambulances cuz I gonna fk you up as you do.
(Meanwhile I was eyeballing a 2 foot legnth of 1 1/4" pipe w/a 90° elbow on the end in a stack on the ground next to my foot - kinda like ones with which cartoon characters are always bashing heads)

[@toddcraig6150]

Meet a guy off the USS Johnston on a cod flight from Philippines to Guam, he was wearing a hat USS Johnson , I ask if he was off the ship that fought with taffy 3 he was shocked i knew, anyway was a great guy

[@able34bravo37]

I met a guy who had been on the Marblehead for its halfway-around-the-world-after-being-blown-in-half trip. He was similarly amazed that I'd heard of the ship and knew the story. I was amazed more people didn't know.

[@toddcraig6150]

@@able34bravo37 if you like to hear the story in detail I could relay it if u like but if not please move along nothing to see here

[@clevernamegotban1752]

@@toddcraig6150 could you share in the comments? Any story from a Johnston survivor is damn cool.

[@questionreality6003]

2 more j's after first

[@Blackhawkhelicopter8393]

todd craig id like to hear the story

[@unluckyirish2763]

Gentlemen. Its been a year, but they have confirmed finding the USS Johnston. 4 miles down. The bow was filmed from a submersible, but those who found her commented that all guns and torpedo launchers appeared to be pointing in the right direction. The destroyer who gave as good as she got, and then some

[@fposmith]

In the right direction, you mean toward Japan ?

[@thesage1096]

@@fposmith lol....i caught that too

[@usmcfutball]

The Battle off Samar. Well done, Navy. Well freakin' done.
Signed,
A Marine

[@jameshope7933]

Drach,in almost everything I've read about Leyte the author makes it sound as if the "old,slow, BBs of 7th fleet were made of wood and would have been anihlated by the "fast Japanese ships". even Max Hastings wrote that"7th fleet would have been dangerously out gunned by the Japanese"in his book Retribution.Where does this come from?Yes Yamato was powerful, but she never hit anything,ever,and to put Kongo and Haruna up against Maryland and West Virginia?

[@bkjeong4302]

James Hope
Actually Yamato’s gunnery seems to have been competent, though not world-class, based on new info. (The near miss on White Plains was probably more due to luck, but she’s the most likely candidate for the secondary hits on Hoel and Johnston)
That said 7th Fleet is simply too much for Centre Force to deal with.

[@jameshope7933]

@@bkjeong4302 fair point Bk, she might have scored more with a few more opportunities.

[@bkjeong4302]

James Hope
I’d assume she would have landed a few more if Hoel and Heerman didn’t launch fish at her to force her away. That said the Japanese MVPs of the engagement were the cruisers.
Given that Seventh Fleet has THE most consistently accurate battleship ever (West Virginia, which regularly outperformed the Iowas in gunnery skill), in an engagement between Seventh Fleet and Centre Force, the former will probably land the first battleship hits. But it’s going to take a while to finish off Yamato and she would probably land good hits of her own in the meantime. Not that this matters, because Yamato is the only ship in Centre Force that can actually fight even one of the Standards and the other three Japanese BBs will go down much more easily. Then they can just focus on the only Japanese vessel that actually poses a threat.

[@jameshope7933]

@@Birdy890 It feels more like I'm wrong here,I'll own the error.

[@misterjag]

Evans was half Cherokee, one-quarter Creek, and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

[@ForceSmart]

A noble warrior through and through.

[@misterjag]

Evans couldn't obtain an appointment to the Naval Academy, so he enlisted and after a year of service won admission through a fleet competition.

[@questionreality6003]

" - So proud to live! -So pround to die ! " -- thank you Cherokee and Creek people for bearing Ernest E Evans !!!!

[@jyshot]

misterjag So he 1/2 Cherokee 1/4 Creek and 100% Navy

[@jimjonrs3932]

3/4 Cherocreek.

[@Maddog3060]

4:45 "With the sum total of the fighting momentarily being several enemy battleships and heavy cruisers versus the Johnston, the odds were of course completely unequal"
I know, right? The Japanese were at a massive disadvantage. ;)
And I'm kinda ticked we keep naming our carriers for jackass politicians while men like Evans don't even get a destroyer anymore. It's a damn shame.

[@jefferyindorf699]

When Drach said that I thought those poor Japanese.

[@electrohalo8798]

If I were in charge of any navy, ID MAKE THE DAMN FLAGSHIP BE NAMED JOHNSTON

[@user-ro9zf9kz1h]

Though not american, I would also name the best ship in our navy if i ever got a chance. Their bravery must not be forgotten.

[@brianmorgan7703]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Evans_(DE-1023)#:~:text=USS%20Evans%20(DE%2D1023)%2C%20a%20Dealey%2Dclass,of%20the%20Medal%20of%20Honor.
He had a ship named for him, but personally he should have another, at the least.

[@JohnSmith-kg2rt]

I prefer the names from ww2 and before

[@WillowEpp]

Johnston vs an entire Japanese battlegroup? What a hilariously lopsided fight.
They should have brought at _least_ three more battleships.

[@Brigade35]

Nah, add some more cruisers and some extra destroyers, hell, add Musashi. That'll be a fair fight!

[@WillowEpp]

@@Brigade35 Musashi's weight in destroyers. And obviously no carriers, because that's just free plane XP.

[@sotabaka]

@@WillowEpp ... they should have brought CV's ... those 40mm gunners were bored pilli9ng potatoes to feed the hungry 5inch guns :)

[@Ivellios23]

They did bring the Musashi, but she decided to visit the sea bottom the day before.

[@questionreality6003]

Musashi actually is the loss, dunking Kurita literally, that may have Kurita chickening out after evans blew off the bow of his Kumano - he may literally have been scared crapless and thought he'd then that day lose the Yamato too

[@Inny1984]

Japanese Fleet: *Exist*
Ernest E Evans: Drive me closer, i want to hit them with my sword!

[@lt_darkseekerantique3911]

Inny1984 *Angry American screaming in the distance*
Japanese Commander on the Yamato:*Shrugs shoulders*”Guess I’ll retreat then”

[@biscuitninja]

You have inspired me (Samuel B. Robers)!

[@diegoviniciomejiaquesada4754]

Literally "Little Destroyer too angry to Die".

[@kyleabrezzi]

Center force: *sweats furiously*
Kurita: why is that heavy cruiser approaching us?

[@snakeshift9172]

Ahh, a fellow man of culture I see. Nay, an intellectual. Well done sir.

[@draconon7072]

Roses are red, the Kamchatka was a disaster
*THE JAPANESE ARE FAST, BUT THE JOHNSTON IS FASTER*

[@Engine33Truck]

I love this poem lol

[@Forzaplayer]

@Drachinifel this should be a shirt

[@FltCaptAlan]

Yesterday, Johnston's "crown" of being the deepest known wreck, was passed on to one of her fellow tin cans, the Sammy B, resting now over 22,600 feet down, broken, bettered, but her number is still visible on her bow, almost as clean a Johnston's

[@Unhinged_Mechanic]

Perfect name for the next Arleigh Burke destroyer

[@willrichards9482]

Needs to be one in every new line of destroyer the Navy produces

[@CoryAY82383]

@@willrichards9482 Needs to be another Sammy B too

[@joedunleavy7066]

@@CoryAY82383 there is stationed Mayport Fl

[@CoryAY82383]

I thought that one was decommissioned

[@harrymurphey2634]

... you are thinking to small ... think LARGE .... the next series of Aircraft Carriers should be named after these Captains ... not some politician that never served ( Note: most ex-Presidents, up till now have served except the last few ...) ... also add the Captains at Savo Island and the USS Houston/Java Sea ...

[@richardwarfield7386]

They just located the Johnson recently. Sitting upright on her keel - pissed and still ready to fight.

[@robertyoung3992]

first it's Johnston, and it's a a trench at 21,180

[@Darren4352]

As a paratrooper it takes a lot to impress me but it literally brings tears to my eyes when I tell people about DD557 and the way she, her crew, and the other sailors of Taffy 3 distinguished themselves.

[@mattwoodard2535]

I can imagine in the afterlife many a great captain and admiral stood at attention as Captain Evans joined their ranks. sm

[@swordmonkey6635]

I know Admiral Nelson came over and wanted to shake Evan's hand. Evans was Nelson's kind of commander.

[@nowthisis2stupid]

Sword Monkey “you sailed right at them lad, well done and welcome home!”

[@JohnP538]

I pretty sure Halsey bought Evans several rounds when he got there.

[@justinebautista1383]

@@JohnP538 nah man im pretty sure Evans slapped Halsey for his incompetence

[@julianarnott5184]

@@justinebautista1383 ya

[@Lintary]

It remains one of the most stunning tales of WW2.

[@Zerox_Prime]

True. Yet, such gunship battles characterized the Naval Battles of Guadalcanal in 1942. Afterwards, the IJN licked their wounds while the USN built Essex Class carriers, fast battleships, many more cruisers, transports, submarines, new fighters, better torpedos, etc. The best chance the IJN had of a decisive naval victory after 1942 was the Battle off Samar Island.

[@felixgutierrez993]

@@Zerox_Prime Well yes but the IJNs lack of Carriers after Midway is what made them on the defensive very early on.

[@MidnightMoon2267]

On March 31st, 2021 her wreck was found over 21,000ft below the ocean, the deepest shipwreck found in history.

[@chedelirio6984]

Forward guns still upright and trained to broadside. To the last moment.

[@unluckyirish2763]

Somebody call up Sabaton. See if we can get a song about this fight

[@robertyoung3992]

to be exact 21,180 feet

[@s.31.l50]

A bit more info on the second USS Johnston:
She was decommissioned in 1981 and sold to Taiwan, where she continued to serve for 22 years under the name ROCS Chen Yang. She was finally decommissioned in 2003 and sunk as a target ship.

[@ELCADAROSA]

She, and possibly a few sister ships, were replaced with the former Kidd-class destroyers (Kidd, Scott, Chandler and Callahan - all named after dead admirals)

[@ralphkerr6809]

@@ELCADAROSA ive visited the first kidd, kidd was cool (isaac kidd, not USS)

[@jonlane4149]

I served on the USS Johnston DD 821, straight out of boot camp, September 79, until I was transferred for A school in March 1980, coming off of the Carter years, she was a reserve ship, I was in Deck division and I don't think many of the other sailors in that Division, maybe the ship, could have told you the history and significance of the ship's name at the time. Definitely need a new Arleigh Burke class "can" named Johnston!

[@mongofungo9243]

@@jonlane4149 served on fox dd779 and Wilson dd847 with Johnston in Philadelphia. Desron 30

[@brucelytle1144]

​@@jonlane4149I was on, with my brother (there was 3 sets of brothers on-board at the time), made the last Med cruise and got off in Philly when she went Reserve.
Learned a lot on that ship. After the Navy (8 yrs+] I sailed merchant ships as 3rd Engineer, then Chief Electrician.
We had a Dave Lane MM3 when I was aboard...

[@miosanjuan7687]

She was Discovered today and she’s well preserved.

[@robertyoung3992]

they located her bow at a depth of 21,180 feet

[@MrOiram46]

Sabaton needs to make a song about this too, to go along with Bismarck and Midway.

[@codename1176]

They really should make a song about the whole task force just to spread the word of how absurd the whole thing was

[@waynehanley72]

There are some ships, I think, whose names must always be in service. The Johnston is one of those names (and the Samuel B. Roberts is another).

[@da_pimp_is_ereinsigne2466]

Earnest E. Evans too

[@jayglithero524]

The Sullivans, too.

[@LostBeaver]

USS Johnston, the fightingest ship in the US navy

[@MrSleepy677]

It's the Chad of the US Navy.

[@Adino1]

The pound for pound champion of WW2 naval warfare.

[@clearingbaffles]

We had a few submarines that could claim that title 52 of them didn’t make it home

[@kennyfox7055]

A Fletcher class destroyer was and still is the mightiest ship in the entire U.S. navy

[@felixgutierrez993]

@@MrSleepy677 As a huge fan of the Iowas...the USS Johnston is the CHAD of the Navy!

[@hadrianbuiltawall9531]

Son to father - Why are destroyers called destroyers daddy?
Father to son - because they can destroy a battle fleets reputation.

[@yang-fanchau2085]

To be fair battleships were obsolete at their intended role by the end of WWII, Destroyers were cheaper and could perform more tasks. Also they had a way more badass name so

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

The best comment of the bunch,daddy.

[@isejanus2714]

"dammit, boys, they're getting away!' Overheard by Admiral Sprague on the bridge of the Butler during the battle of Samar.

[@robertyoung3992]

Battle off Samar

[@isejanus2714]

@@robertyoung3992 When I drink my spelling gets ropey.

[@Kaanfight]

@@isejanus2714 drink some more! Johnston makes records even in the afterlife by being the deepest shipwreck known!

[@jagerbombasstic]

I just recently visited the USS Cassin Young (Fletcher class) in Boston. Knowing of the Johnston and my love of the fletcher in games and history it was amazing experience. It is impossible to imagine the men on that little ship looking at a fleet of ships that had gun turrets bigger then their whole ship yet fought them off. Hell I've been on the USS Alabama and I know kongos were longer and yammy was a whole lot bigger so just imagining that WOW. Not enough praise can be put on the men of that ship and it's commander. Fletcher's were the work horse that should be praised more then they are. Also beautiful ships IMO

[@Thunderous117]

JagerBombasstic gorgeous little ships with Lethal intent, I've always been a sucker for the Fletcher's and almost all destroyers in general (I'm very sad we didn't bother to save a Wilkes or a Clemson) shame not many people appreciate the valor of the tin cans and their men

[@MrKKUT1984]

The Alabama is a nice ship, it's hard to imagine something that heavy actually floats

[@Brigade35]

@@MrKKUT1984 Believe it or not, there are ships that are much, much heavier. Like, 3 times heavier (or more) than Yamato.

[@MrKKUT1984]

@@Brigade35 yeah I know, all the more amazing isnt it

[@questionreality6003]

Well said ! Next Ford class Carrier should be USS Ernest Evans

[@toddwebb7521]

There was an interview with one of the survivors who was on the bridge where allegedly one of the sailors before the fighting started said "captain don't let us go down while there's still torpedoes on board"
Captain Evans definitely didn't let the ship go down with any torpedoes on board.

[@bkjeong4302]

Todd Webb
That guy seems as crazy as Evans.

[@johngregory4801]

@@bkjeong4302 Evans wasn't crazy. He was an real man, whose devotion to duty outstripped his will to survive.
Soft people sleep easy at night because such men stand between them and death.

[@bkjeong4302]

John Gregory
I meant crazy in a positive way?

[@jamessullivan586]

If I'm not mistaken I believe all the ammunition had been expended as well by the time guns themselves have stopped working

[@sotabaka]

@@jamessullivan586 the guns didnt stop working ... they run out of munition

[@bluefang162]

The ship that led the charge against overwhelming odds.
A ship that truly deserves to be remembered alongside those she fought with in this near impossible battle. Well done USS Johnston, USS Samuel B. Roberts, and all of Taffy 3. May your legacies continue to live on

[@REALjohnmosesbrowning]

Evans wasn't just a sailor, the man was a damn warrior. He had the same blood as men like Leonidas and the Stamford Bridge Viking; men who have no fear of combat and will spill as much blood as possible before they themselves perish. The name Johnston should be kept in the US Navy in remembrance of Evans' exceptional devotion to his country and the courageous crew of his ship.

[@brucelytle1144]

He was a Cherokee.

[@drdagonator3544]

"A large Japanese fleet has been contacted. They are fifteen miles away and headed in our direction. They are believed to have four battleships, eight 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."

[@Shadow-dy7oh]

that was what Copeland said on the Samuel B Robert

[@drdagonator3544]

@@Shadow-dy7oh thank you for the historical correction, as always any end to incorrect information is appreciated. It was brought to mind due to the ties to samar (hopefully I have that correct still) thank you good sir

[@billbolton]

Great story, such heroics usually only in the age of sail.

[@questionreality6003]

Didn't happen then either given the odds of force levels of either side? No naval historian here but I believe b off isle of Samar is to date the most uneven battle won by the underdog. (Kurita may have been cowed by losing Musashi ,Y's sister ship, out from under him

[@billbolton]

@@questionreality6003 I think the Japanese knew they had lost the war and expected to face overwhelming odds despite the diversionary efforts and this was a factor, although that is not to detract from the remarkable efforts of US Navy.

[@jimmybritt9537]

Watching this just made my morning coffee go down so smoothly . The failing of America is these things are not taught to in schools today . 👍🇺🇸

[@PlaneBoy2520]

Jimmy Britt well it’s not exactly that useful thing to know when you’re trying to get a job, but it still is certainly a very fun subject to learn about.

[@leebenson4874]

The teaching of Bravery, Honor, and Respect should not be taught by the school system. It should be taught by ones Mother, Father and Siblings, or by the great men themselves. JMO
SPC-Lee a Benson 11B U.S. Army (RET.)

[@ONECOUNT]

This should be seen on the big screen!

[@legogenius1667]

@@ONECOUNT The stories of Taffy 3 and the USS Laffey's ordeal would both make great movies.

[@ONECOUNT]

@@legogenius1667 Also the battle of the Kamsndorski Islands or how the USS Salt Lake City earned the name Swayback Maru. Another onesided battle that bravery and sheer big brass ones saved the day.

[@vanringo]

All I can say is that Evans and his crew were all heroes that day. All of the men of the DDs, DEs, and the 2 jeep carriers that were lost were heroes. Evans and the Johnson just stood out more as the Johnson was the boat that actually made the Yamato turn around this taking her out of most of the battle. This was the Naval battle that essentially put an end to the IJN. There was not another concerted effort by the IJN to do another Naval mission until they started using their ships for Kamakazi missions at the end. Evans did everything right, maybe not as ordered, but he was correct. The Johnson single handedly slowed down the central fleet enough so that 4 of the 6 carriers could get away. The Johnson basically did what any destroyer or frigate is designed to do. Protect the main ships of the fleet or task force and if necessary take the damage intended for the primary ships.

[@kevindavidson8802]

Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is a great book that goes into the details of the construction of the ships, the history of the commanders and some crew, as well as the battles and aftermath of the Battle off Samar.

[@bkjeong4302]

Kevin Davidson
Is rather out of date in some aspects though.

[@matthewrobinson4323]

Awesome!!! SHE and HER crew are the stuff of which naval legends are born! As I recall, as one of Taffy 3's ships was sinking, the crew of the Japanese ship that had sunk HER, manned the rail to honor HER as SHE slipped under the waves and went down to HER grave, but I don't recall whether SHE was the Johnston.
Tin cans! Haze Gray and underway!

[@Isolder74]

Oh, that WAS the Johnston....because of course it was!

[@decadantdog4444]

They saluted her.

[@navy57]

The valiant three ships that won the Battle off Samar were USS JOHNSTON, USS HOEL, and USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS
Btw, USS stands for "Underway Saturdays and Sundays"! It's a sailors' mark of pride, i.e., we're out here at sea -- doing what we do best -- while everybody else is taking the weekend off.
People who've never been to sea can never understand then bond that exists between a well run US Navy warship and those who man her. Although it's not their fault that people don't "get it", it's nevertheless true that one personally has to feel it to understand it.

[@chemech]

In the finest traditions set by John Paul Jones.

[@johngregory4801]

Her bow is still proudly proclaiming her. DD-557 is still on patrol, still gallantly commanded by Commander Evans...
21,000 feet down.

[@studdaman420]

They just found this ship on the bottom a couple days ago... Their crew are all in Valhalla where warrior's that died in battle get to go! Thank you Crew of the USS Johnston! You are not forgotten!
🇺🇸⚓🇺🇸

[@matthewcasey5059]

Seems like I'd read that during that engagement when one of the escort carriers went by the Johnston the CO was on the fantail screaming down a hatch into aft emergency steering giving rudder orders because of the bridge being destroyed. That's what you call huge big brass ones!

[@longrider188]

It was the Samuel B. Roberts, an Destroyer Escort.

[@johnfisher9692]

Thanks Drach
A great ship bravely handled with a gutsy crew.
Watching about USS Johnston's last fight it brought to mind an image of the skinny Steve Rogers from Captain America wavering on his feet saying "I can do this all day"

[@PepRock01]

Yes! The ship version of him for sure!

[@michealcormier2555]

I'm watching this again, because of the news that they visually identified the U.S.S. Johnson a couple of days ago Four miles down in the ocean.

[@robertyoung3992]

it's JOHNSTON

[@surayutskulchai714]

who would win:
Biggest IJN BB
or
a Fletcher class

[@gamewarrior010]

Comrade Doge a fletcher

[@spider0804]

The entire Japanese fleet, or a few substandard carriers, a couple destroyers, and a couple destroyer escorts.
Naturally the small hopelessly outgunned force.

[@jwenting]

no contest

[@bkjeong4302]

spider0804
Actually aircraft from two other Taffy units (and Taffy 3 carriers, though unlike the others they lacked anti-ship ammunition) played a major part in the battle as well. In fact they finished off most of the cruisers that were damaged by Johnston and co.

[@Admiral_Ellis]

Biggest BB vs Biggest PP

[@blackhawkorg]

Rest in Peace Captain Evans and crew.
Thank you.

[@ethantanner4954]

Came back to watch this just a few hours after it was announced that her main wreck had been found, on April 1st 2021
Rest easy, Johnston

[@robertyoung3992]

21,180 feet down the deepest wreck ever located

[@grantreichel6870]

For future reference purposes, Kwajalein is pronounced (qua-jah-lane)
Excellent video about my absolute favorite destroyer and her great Captain.

[@countleo4069]

And 'Annie-we-tock' island... too funny

[@bullreeves1109]

It’s a crime this ship isn’t in WoWs.

[@TacticalAlphaCharlie]

I heavily agree with you this ship needs to be in world of warships!

[@murderouskitten2577]

Every time i listen about Tafy 3 and USS Johnston i have one 40k quote in mind :
commisar of Imperial Guard - 'Drive me closer tank driver , i want to stab them with my sword "

[@ignacejespers8201]

USS Johnston: the Ollanius Pius of history

[@txgunguy2766]

We're surrounded, sir.
Good. Now we can attack in any direction.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Thank you for recognizing this fine ship, crew and her amazing captain.

[@magnificus8581]

She's been found!

[@DarkWizard83]

That the US Navy currently does not have an active ship with the name Johnston or Evans is a shame.

[@rogerhwerner6997]

Evans, the men of the Johnston, and the rest of the Taffy 3 escort ships will never be forgotten as long as navies and their sailors exist. Some actions are timeless and can never be over lauded.

[@slingshot1961]

One of the best, if not THE best ship sacrifices of world war 2. Definitely inspiring. What a great crew and wow, what a Captain!

[@Paul-in-Missouri]

Read "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer. Incredible read!

[@cmdrbozo]

My father was one of the survivors, and and described to me collecting supplies from the pharmacy as the ship sank. He received this Commendation "SCHMUFF, CLAYTON R., PHM1c, USNR
For distinguishing himself by meritorious service and outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy in the Philippine Islands. Schmuff demonstrated heroic devotion to duty in caring for wounded aboard his ship, helping injured off the ship when it was ordered abandoned and later working for 2 days aiding the injured aboard a life raft. For his conduct throughout this period he is commended and authorized to wear the Commendation Ribbon."

[@Dasycottus]

... That's all he got? How did every single effing Johnston crew member not end up with at least a silver star???

[@USS_Grey_Ghost]

And she fought with USS Samuel B. Roberts DE-413

[@lambastepirate]

I would have said alongside [with] could be mistaken for against

[@questionreality6003]

inspired DE-413 to also turn around and fight

[@robertyoung3992]

USS Hoel as well

[@palespectre]

Here after seeing the footage of the USS Johnstohn underwater

[@stevenmoore4612]

A true David vs Goliath moment! Captain Evans and his crew had serious balls to take on the whole center force battle fleet in what they called a “tin can” ship. Though it must have been terrifying to think that at any moment they could have been hit by Yamato’s 18in shells, which would have torn a ship like the Johnston to shreds! Also I saw recently that her wreck was discovered roughly 5 miles down, which makes her the deepest shipwreck ever discovered!

[@hansenkho3835]

The wreckage of johnston is recently found. Still quite intact after a very long year under sea bed

[@robertyoung3992]

21,180 feet

[@Bufoferrata]

How about an episode on HMS Shark at Jutland? Commander Loftus Jones is probably "Best Bro's" with Commander Evans at the Valhalla Naval branch!
Cheers!

[@PlaneBoy2520]

I’m surprised the Johnston didn’t just ram each and every ship in the Japanese navy while STILL somehow managing to stay afloat

[@legogenius1667]

That was prevented because the japanese shot her engines away. And they all turned and ran when she still somehow got close enough anyway.

[@shannonrhoads7099]

@@legogenius1667 "Engines out?! Right, boys, let's get in the water and push the ship towards the enemy!"

[@bluefang162]

Warspite or Glow Worm would make a good teacher for that aspect.

[@PlaneBoy2520]

@@legogenius1667 the USS Johnston sinks below the waves as it engages submarine mode for its 6th counter attack!

[@swordmonkey6635]

USS Johnston: a chihuahua on caffeine, PCP and super soldier serum from Capt America.

[@kokofan50]

No, just a dachshund.

[@Easy-Eight]

The 127mm shells are some mean teeth. *Johnston* slammed them into the IJN ships on a regular basis. There s about 25 pounds of bursting charge in a 5" shell. Slam a few of those into a cruiser and you're not doing that ship any good. Johnson was not a Chihuahua; it was a mad bobcat.

[@kokofan50]

Easy Eight, armor plate is really good at resisting explosives on the surface. The only way a 5’ shell would have done any real damage to a heavy cruiser or battleship is hitting the bridge.

[@swordmonkey6635]

@@Easy-Eight In the naval arsenal, a 5" shell is a chihuahua's bite. It hurts and there's the "death from a 1000 cuts" but in the realm of naval artillery, you need to get a good hit on a lightly armored section of a ship as opposed to the insanity of Yamato's 3200 lbs shell. It's true, 127 isn't a joke, but it's not meant to do what Johnson did with them so well.
That's why I think the Johnson crew was so brave and tenacious (like a chihuahua). They took a knife to a gun fight and still stayed up fighting for a long time.

[@Easy-Eight]

@@swordmonkey6635 , when you're in the Army a direct hit wrecks your day. The USN had the excellent MK 37 fire director on the destroyers and that simple computer did an excellent job of providing data for slamming shells into the superstructure of Japanese cruisers. Didn't you guys really wonder why the USN drastically reduced the guns on Destroyers after WWII? 45 5" shell slamming into Battleship Hiei at Guadalcanal reduced her superstructure to a flaming wreck. After about the 10th hit from a 5" shell on a cruiser's superstructure it's optics will be wrecked, the radar system will be blasted off, the radio antennas & communication systems will be smashed, the signal lamps will be destroyed, the ships funnels will be putting toxic fumes directly into the super structure, the life boats will be flaming wrecks, and there will be general chaos. Also, it's a recorded fact the Destroyer was so accurate that it was slamming shells into the bridge. That does the Captain, XO, Helmsman, and staff no favors. Even if they live the gear to operate the ship will be wrecked. The bridge is the brains of the ship. A simple hand grenade tossed into a ship's bridge would cripple it in a fight.

[@luciusvorenus9445]

"This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now" CDR Evans at the commissioning of the USS JOHNSTON.

[@skipper4126]

Such an amazing story of courage and bravery.

[@georgeturner301]

It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog (bob lilly-dallas cowboys)

[@redshirt5126]

Japanese fleet surrounds USS Johnston
USS Johnston: "I'll take you all on!!"

[@tremedar]

Sir! They have us surrounded!
Those poor bastards....

[@justinmueller3141]

Excellent, now we can fire on every direction!

[@roybaker6902]

Now we've got them where we want them.

[@user-ro9zf9kz1h]

USS Johnston: You are all been surrounded by me.

[@AdamosDad]

What men they were. BRAVO ZULU USS Johnston.

[@davidknowles2491]

U.S.S Johnston. The ORIGINAL Chuck Norris.

[@shadowmane20]

Chuck Norris had to have sprung from Captain Evans' loins.

[@Equinerhael]

@@shadowmane20 lol

[@nullockalwin2954]

@@shadowmane20 welp.. found the best comment of the past year

[@MarcStjames-rq1dm]

WTF? Chuck norris... the fitness guru from tv? Comparing him to a truly heroic ship? There is either another chuck norris or you are from the trump is real smart cult.

[@MarcStjames-rq1dm]

@paul Provenzano I hear your point but dude, you might want to check your sensitivity to "Trump" and his ilk being used as a descriptive for many things banal and treasonous etc..... I wasn't being overly political just saying something rather bluntly and admittedly, stupidly. This is a channel about Warships...... good grief! Toughen up! :) It's a great channel don't you think? anyway..... cheers have a good and safe new year. Genuinely..

[@lgd1974]

Yamato: "I’m the best ship in World War 2!"
USS Johnston: "Unfortunately for you history will not see it that way."
Faced with an enemy whose gun turrets weigh more than the entire ship, Johnston decides running is boring. It's amazing that the Johnston stayed afloat for as long as it did, considering the weight of the crew's massive balls.

[@yang-fanchau2085]

Yamato was a useless piece of trash she was built too late to be anything other than a propaganda device

[@tricitiesair]

Came after watching the video of her discovery.
Hopefully she can get a plaque and some closure for the descendants of these brave sailors. Rest easy.

[@veganconservative1109]

I am a descendant of one of them, the gunner for one of the big front guns that got blown away when the bridge was hit. We still have his purple heart, hat, a wall hanging for those who died in service, an American Portuguese newspaper on the battle of Samar with his picture on front page, a news clipping of a beautiful poem he wrote his fiance shortly before he died, and finally was able to deliver a letter written just weeks before my uncle died had been intended for his nephew. (His nephew, now an old man, had tears when we read it to him. Not a dry eye in the house.) We plan on donating most all of it to a museum once the estate is settled. Very, very proud of an man I never got to meet.

[@oxygen7445]

What a legendary ship...

[@MrSleepy677]

More legendary then the Iowa and Enterprise.

[@scottgiles7546]

Iowa, yes.
The Enterprise...... At a certain point you don't get to say one is better than the other.

[@MrSleepy677]

Fair enough.

[@oxygen7445]

They're all legendary in their own right

[@kennethjohnston9736]

This ship holds a special place in my heart.....

[@tylerlawrence1997]

They found the wreck

[@TedStryker71]

The Johnston was recently photographed upright on her keel at 20,000 feet with hull number ‘557’ proudly displayed. Evans and her crew standing eternally ready and waiting, to pop-open another can of whoopass.

[@robertyoung3992]

try 21,180

[@TedStryker71]

@@robertyoung3992 Picard issuing a dismissive, “Thank you Mr. Data.”

[@spookyshadowhawk6776]

One of the most singular examples of courage and determination in the history of the US Navy, Johnston did it's share in convincing a superior Japanese naval force to be somewhere else.

[@AugmentedGravity]

The most heroic little ship that could.

[@SmilingIbis]

A story I never tire of hearing.

[@wayfaringman8418]

My great uncle was serving on the USS Heermann (DD-532) during this battle. I did a report on the Battle of Samar many years ago and I remember he took a look at it and suggested I include something more about the Heermann. I told him I had to omit many great things of that day for my report's length was already too long. He smiled and patted my shoulder and told me he'd help me next time I did a report. He passed away recently which brought to me the knowledge I had missed 30 years ago; He was a veteran of this amazing battle.

[@robertyoung3992]

the Heermann was the only ship to escape

[@robertyoung3992]

Battle off Samar

[@stevewindisch7400]

The real shame of this battle is that the survivors were not picked up for over 50 hours; and because of this over 90 of the Johnston's men died in the water that could possibly have been saved (including Commander Evans). There are few combat vessels slower in the Navy than an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry, max. 16 knots usually cruising about 10 kts., one of which actually picked most of the Johnston's survivors up) . PT boats, DD's DE's and cruisers who were faster and possibly closer to begin with anyway, should have quickly been sent to the site... but were not. Even if the LCI's cruised the approx. 120 miles from the beachhead area at 10 kts., that is still only 12 hours. Let's say, to get the order, get ready, weigh anchor.... 14 hours. Another 4 hours searching. Another 2 hours for leeway. That is 20 hours. What about the other 30 hours (or even 24 hours, accounting for darkness)? There is no good explanation for it. The Navy at this late point in the war has quite a lot of assets for search and rescue: Subs, patrol aircraft (many of which are flying boats or float seaplanes which could safely land in the fairly calm water), and small patrol vessels. Sending slow landing ships and PC's all the way from the beach head is a strange choice, other than that they were done with their primary task of landing and therefor available. Besides all that, the number of vessels sent proved to be inadequate, and terrible crowding and shortage of health care meant the survivor's trials were prolonged even more. In short, the rescue effort was a cluster. Many blamed Admiral Kincaid, who was in charge.
Why so badly handled? We know that the very same day as the naval battle... The first large scale Kamikaze attacks began. These were a shock to the psyche. I would suggest that because of it, people were in self preservation mode more than usual... less willing to give up AA or scouting assets to go pick up survivors or to even remember their existence. But frankly this topic is rarely discussed and no satisfactory answer has ever been given, not even in Hornfischer's excellent book (which does discuss it and tells the survivor's stories). And another part of it is that Halsey's actions / decisions always got top billing... although they had no bearing on the rescue. The official story was: "A huge victory"... Anything detracting from that was not very welcome.
Quoted from the below link:
_ Of the 327 men on board Johnston at the beginning of the battle (326 officers and men of her ship’s company, and Lt.(j.g.) Pliska from DesDiv 94), she suffered 50 killed in action and 45 who died of wounds or exposure. Originally listed as missing in action, the 91 men who were never recovered and initially listed as missing, were later classified as presumed dead a year and a day after they had been declared missing. Forty men were wounded seriously and 101 men slightly. LCI gunboats rescued the lion’s share of the 141 survivors on 27 October 1944, nearly to the day and to the hour the ship had been commissioned, after they had clung desperately to life rafts for over 50 hours, battling barracudas, sharks, and stingrays; two of the rescued men had been rescued after having floated the entire time in their life jackets. PhM1c Clayton R. Schmuff, USNR, a Johnston plank owner, who cared for the wounded during the battle, helped injured men off the ship after she had been ordered abandoned, then toiled for two days caring for the bloodied survivors on life rafts, would ultimately receive a Letter of Commendation for his heroic performance of duty.
“Maybe we were a little bitter,” Lt. Hagen, who later received the Navy Cross, afterward explained in The Saturday Evening Post, “about being in the water so long, especially after three separate friendly planes had zoomed us within two hours after the ship sank. We were very weary, a little sick and maybe a little crazy from fighting, bleeding, vomiting and seeing our friends die. We were only fifty miles east of Samar and we figured we’d be picked up in a few hours with so many ships around. A lot of men would be alive today if rescue had come sooner.” _
End quote.
www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/j/johnston-i.html

[@SynchroScore]

I love that picture of a destroyer going so fast the bow wave extends above the foredeck.

[@topturretgunner]

Well done Drachinifel. This is a great supplement to the book Tin Can Sailors that encompasses the Taffey 3 action. LTC Evans and valiant crew of Johnston are a study in courage and selflessness. God bless them.

[@teutonalex]

The video fails to mention the Japanese sailors yelling “Samurai!” as they were steaming by the Johnston’s survivors as a mark of respect for her 180 and single handed fight to help cover her escaping task force.

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

They had to know they'd been totally licked by then, and underestimated their opponent.

[@longrider188]

I've never heard of the crew yelling samurai, but the captain of the destroyer did salute the sinking Johnston. Apparently, another destroyer captain saluted the sinking Roberts as well.

[@inyobill]

"... a frontline view as the Yamato accompanied by Nagato and two Kongo class …" and one woefully wishes one had five minutes to duck below and change one's nickers.

[@able34bravo37]

Evans' forgotten first reply, "Helmsman, bring me my brown trousers."

[@shannonrhoads7099]

I don't think the Johnston gave the Imperial Navy that much time.

[@dimasgirl2749]

Evans didn't say that; the captain of the KUNAMO said that.@@able34bravo37

[@mikehenthorn1778]

The Samuel B Roberts also did a hero's job that day in a DE.

[@d.owczarzak6888]

Long live her name and long live her glory, and long may her story be told.

[@GroundWarChronicles]

And we shouldn't forget about her Australian counterpart, HMAS Yarra

[@cdamauser1963]

Now LtCdr. Evans was most definetly a fighting sailor!

[@TheBlackSpider82]

Seems strange the US Navy hasn't named one of the Burke's USS Ernest E. Evans.

[@rudolfyakich6653]

I can never resist listening to this story. Those sailors did their duty and more. True Patriot warriors!

[@waltershumate5777]

Somehow, a C.M.H. just doesn't seem to say enough...
What an Heroic and courageous Man!

[@robertyoung3992]

it's just called the MOH

[@robertyoung3992]

its just the MOH

[@hardcasekara6409]

Can't wait to see another video from my favorite naval historian.

[@Colt45hatchback]

UA-cam has become "the drachinifel channel" for me too. Unfortunatly I have actually ran out of his videos to watch...

[@jameshunter5485]

Nothing in the annals of the USN has surpassed the audacity, the sheer fighting spirit or the significance of her achievement as the USS Johnston. Probably it was the aerial attack that drove off the Yamato and her armada, but no one can discount the contribution of this little fighting ship, her crew and of course, Capt. Evans.

[@Mike___Honcho]

when i first learned of the battle that the johnston participated in, i could barely wrap my brain around the courage and fighting spirit of those ships' sailors. evans sure wasn't whistling dixie when he said the johnston was going to be a fighting ship !