#uss johnston

[alphamecha-mkii]

USS Johnston by Chris Douglas

[lonestarbattleship]

"The Finest Hour" by Mark Karvon link

"In the lore of the US Navy, the saga of Fletcher Class destroyer, USS JOHNSTON is legendary for its part in the Battle off Samar during the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf On October 25, 1944.

During the operation to liberate the Philippines, the small naval task force, Taffy 3, was left to provide cover for the invading US Army. The force was made up of 5 light escort carriers and 6 destroyers and destroyer escorts screening for them.

Unbeknownst to the men of Taffy 3, a large Japanese force consisting of 23 ships was headed their way in a surprise attack. The force consisted of 4 battleships (including the largest battleship ever built - Yamato), 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers.

Taffy 3 was badly outnumbered and very much outgunned. It was up to the destroyers and destroyer escorts to protect the carriers at all costs otherwise the marines on the beach would be vulnerable. The ships began laying down a heavy smoke screen. Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans captained JOHNSTON. Being of Native American ancestry, Lt Commander Evans had the warrior's spirit. He led his ship alone straight into the teeth of the much superior enemy. As JOHNSTON turned into the oncoming enemy some say he spoke these words over the ship's intercom, "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." (Some sources credit the latter part of this dramatic announcement tot LCDR Robert Copeland of SAMUEL B ROBERTS).

JOHNSTON dodged shell from the enemy battle cruisers until she could get close enough to hit back. as soon as the range closed to ten miles, JOHNSTON scored damaging hits on the heavy cruiser Kumano. During her five-minute sprint into torpedo range, JOHNSTON fired over 200 rounds at the enemy. She launched all ten of her torpedoes and retired behind a heavy smoke screen. At least one of the torpedoes found the Kumano and blew the bow off the cruiser forcing it to withdraw from the battle.

JOHNSTON did not get away unscathed however and she took three hits from 14 inch shells as well as three from 6 inch shells which destroyed the bridge causing many casualties and Lt Commander Evans to lose 2 fingers and covering him in shrapnel which shredded his shirt. The ship was mangled badly, with dead and dying sailors strewn across her bloody decks. The bridge was rendered useless so Lt Commander Evans went to the aft steering column to conn the ship.

About this time, three of the other ships from Tafffy 3, Destroyers Hoel and Heermen and the destroyer escort SAMUEL B ROBERTS, made their charges towards the Japanese fleet. As they went by JOHNSTON they could see shirtless Lt Commander Evans salute them from the aft steering column as they went by.

After making repairs, JOHNSTON rejoined the fight. The ship fought several duels with much larger ships giving all she could but taking severe damage. Eventually she was surrounded by 7 enemy destroyers and pounded mercilessly. Lt Commander Evans gave the order to abandon ship. He was never heard from again.

Along with JOHNSTON, HOEL, HEERMEN and SAMUEL B ROBERTS were equally fierce during the battle. The Japanese were under the impression they were up against much larger ships in the cruiser class. Aircraft from the carriers also enjoined the fight. Some of the aircraft were not properly armed to attack ships but the heroic pilots still feigned attack to force the unknowing enemy to fire upon them thereby diverting attention from the surface ships. The ferocity of the attack from Taffy 3 sunk or crippled the heavy cruisers Chōkai, Kumano, and Chikuma. This seemingly convinced to the Japanese that they were engaging major fleet units rather than escort carriers and destroyers and the fleet withdrew.

Lt Commander Evans was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions that day. My depiction of the legendary USS JOHNSTON depicts the ship as she charges towards the enemy during her first attack that fateful day.

Prints are available through my website www.markkarvon.com."

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

hi i know this is only exciting for me and maybe three people who follow me but caladan oceanic (the company who found the samuel b roberts, the current deepest ever located) just released part one of their full search for the uss johnston!!!!

before the sammy b was found, the uss johnston was the deepest shipwreck ever found and prior to this, theyve only released ~10 second clips from that dive and ahhh my autism is feral with excitement right now

[peachdoxie]

The record for the world's deepest known shipwreck was reestablished today with the discovery of the USS Samuel B. Roberts at a depth of 6895 meters below the surface, or under 4.28 miles of water. That's more than 400 meters deeper than the previous record held by the USS Johnston at 6460 meters when it was discovered last year. That's below the abyssal zone and into the hadopelegic zone in oceanic trenches. There are two other ships whose wrecks have not been found that could be deeper, but, unfortunately, the expedition that found the Samuel B. Roberts ended today, so it's uncertain if the other two will ever be found. I believe that all four ships were sunk during the Battle off Samar during WWII. It's pretty neat that technology has come so far that shipwrecks at such depths can be found! Both the Samuel B. Roberts and the Johnston are in pretty decent condition since there's low oxygen and few creatures that cause damage to wrecks.

[archaeologicalnews]

Explorers dive to deepest known shipwreck

Explorers recently dove to the deepest known shipwreck in the world.

The team reached the USS Johnston, a U.S. Navy destroyer that sank on Oct. 25, 1944 after an intense battle with the Japanese during World War II. The ship, about 376 feet (115 meters) long and 39 feet (12 m) across at its widest, was sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, according to a statement.

The wreckage was first discovered in 2019 off the coast of Samar Island in the Philippines Sea. At the time, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) recorded parts of the wreck, but couldn't reach the deepest parts.

The shipwreck lies about 21,180 feet (6,456 m), or the equivalent of about 15 Empire State Buildings deep. Victor Vescovo, a former U.S. Navy commander who funded the new expedition, piloted his submersible, the DSV Limiting Factor, down to the wreck during two, eight-hour dives, the deepest any human or submersible has gone to explore a shipwreck, according to the statement. Read more.

[c0rvid-19]

I have been playing Azur lane for a while and have been noticing a sad trend in the new ships. In recent events they have been creeping more and more into really obscure ships that really didn’t do anything major irl, while they are ignoring extremely interesting and important ships from WWII.

I have, for a long while now, been hoping that they add some of the members of Taffy 3. Most specifically USS Johnston and USS Samuel B. Roberts.

Johnston in port

USS Johnston, when IJN Yamato and her escorts first engaged the small task force, provided smoke cover for the retreating CVEs. The ship broke off from the force much earlier than any others, and faced the enemy head on, forcing one heavy crusader, IJN Kunamo, to be scuttled later on. Johnston would score a couple hundred hits with her 5 inch guns, before being sunk, (reported as a cruiser by the Japanese). She would receive 6 battle stars, her captain was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and Yukikaze saluted her as she sunk.

Samuel B. Roberts under way

Later in the engagement, the escort destroyer USS Samuel B. Roberts would earn herself one of the coolest titles ever. Once the carriers were somewhat safe in a rain squall, the rest of the destroyer escort was ordered to commence torpedo runs on their pursuers. The Roberts would assist in this task, and would end up expending the entirety of her ammunition before finally being sunk. She would receive a single battle star, with one of her gunners earning a posthumous silver star. She would also earn the title of “The escort destroyer that fought like a battleship” for her actions.

Both of these ships are extremely cool, and they prevented the complete destruction of American landing points on Samar. But they are completely ignored for ships as far back as WWI.

[militaryhistoria]

USS Johnston the Deepest Shipwreck Ever Found

The USS Johnston is the deepest shipwreck ever found, discovered at an incredible depth of 24,700 feet in the Philippine Sea. The US Navy destroyer was sunk during the Second World War during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and remained lost until its rediscovery in 2019. It's amazing to think that the wreckage was preserved in such pristine condition after all these years. The discovery of the USS Johnston is a testament to the bravery of its crew, who valiantly fought against impossible odds during the battle. It's also a reminder that even after all these years; the sea can still hold its secrets.

[reportwire]

US Navy's USS Samuel B Roberts WWII Ship Discovered Off Philippines

US Navy’s USS Samuel B Roberts WWII Ship Discovered Off Philippines

According to the US Navy’s record, the ship’s crew “floated for 3 days awaiting rescue.” Manila, Philippines: A US navy destroyer sunk during World War II has been found nearly 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) below sea level off the Philippines, making it the world’s deepest shipwreck ever located, an American exploration team said. The USS Samuel B Roberts went down during a battle off the central…

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