the destroyer that fought like a battleship

Notice on the map the loop made by Center Force. 19" long (1/192 scale) destroyer escort model. Now a tangled ruin on the deck, Johnston’s Search Radar was out of action. Evans commanded from the stern, shouting down a voice pipe to men manually operating the rudder. Those that weren’t killed instantly were hurled to the deck. The ship was most famous for its bold action in the Battle of Samar.The small "tincan" destroyer armed with nothing larger than 5 inch (127mm) guns and torpedoes would lead the attack of a handful of light ships which had inadvertently been left unprotected in the path of a massive Japanese fleet led by battleships and cruisers. Shōji Nishimura and Kiyohide Shima, had two battleships, four cruisers, and 11 destroyers. I see the biggest meatball flag on the biggest battleship I ever saw!”. By this time the other two Fletcher class destroyers escorting the jeep carriers of Taffy 3, Heermann and Hoel, had caught up to Johnston and prepared for another torpedo attack. Sep 26, 2019 - Warren Lehmkuhle - 6 months ago (edited) USS Johnston. Required fields are marked *. The USS Samuel B Roberts became known as The Destroyer Escort That Fought Like a Battleship for her time in World War 2. Bodies and pieces of bodies littered the deck, slick with rain and the blood of her own crew. Tadanobu Asano as Captain Nagata 6. Carr was found bleeding at his station from a severe intestinal wound, begging for help to load the last round he was holding into the breech. The ship was being heavily fired upon, and a thick smokescreen lingered on the troubled waters. Taffy 3 also included 3 destroyers, more or less unarmored light warships mounting five small 5 inch guns to support the 6th Army as they landed, and 4 destroyer escorts, small convoy escort ships. U.S.S.Johnston DD-557-The destroyer that fought like a battleship. On the map in red and to the west we can see first Japan’s Center force. Finally, in August 1944, USS Samuel B. Roberts joined the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor for training exercises.         By 0820 Evans and his 2,700 ton Johnston, her lone engine running full bore, had emerged from the smoke and rain. 1. The Destroyer That Fought Like a Battleship. Taken by surprise and extremely overpowered, USS Samuel B. Roberts was indeed in a tight spot. As she pulled away seeking shelter in nearby rain squalls at 0730 three 14 inch, 1,400 pound shells, smashed into Johnston. This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. The ship is widely known for her bold action in the Battle off Samar. At the U.S. Though scoring repeated hits with the aid of her. The Destroyer That Fought Like a Battleship The Battle of Leyte Gulf is 71 years old. After the destruction of Musashi, Kurita pulled back to get out of range of the American aircraft. The entry of the United States into … Kurita’s Center Force had been mixed up in the confused melee, hampered by smoke and rain, and were swarmed with about 400 aircraft from Taffys 1-3. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and bandaged the stumps of fingers lost on his left hand.         We’re talking October of 44′ here and it is late in the day. Liam Neeson as Admiral Terrance Shane 3. During the battle, Samuel B. Roberts — designed for 23–24 kn — reached 28.7 kn by diverting all available steam to the ship’s twin turbines. Taffy 3’s escorts were wrecked, but the slow jeep carriers had managed to disengage. The destroyer, again unable to steer, barreled out of control toward the dreadnought. Japan, after declaring ‘lolno’ to the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty that severely limited the size of their navy, spun on their heel, walked the fuck out of conference, and sponsored a massive naval build up. In decades leading up the war it was assumed that battleships would be the deciding factor in success at sea. America enters the war, U-boats stalk the U.S. East Coast.         By 0945 Commander Evans was forced to order abandon ship.  The Japanese landed two hits on the Roberts, the second of which damaged the aft 5-inch gun. IJN Yamato had been spotted. Johnston targeted the next in line. USS Samuel B. Roberts had a short-lived but ferocious service. Naval Academy, in Alumni Hall, USS Samuel B. Roberts was referred as the “destroyer escort that fought like a battleship” in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The destroyer wouldn't have to have cannons capable of penetrating the Mo's armor because of it's missile capabilities. At the U.S. The heavy salvo had destroyed her port (left side for you land lubbers) engine room, halved her speed to about 17 knots (20 mph), and knocked out power to her aft turrets. No one has ever hit an Iowa class battleship with 150 6” shells over the course of 30 minutes. A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals. Then, the entire formation turned away. the model manufacturer is aquacraft distributed by revell through hobbico under product code aqub5705 now rare and discontinued much like the graupner premium lines. Ten minutes later Johnston opened fire with her feeble 5 inch guns. this fletcher is depicted as uss johnston dd557 the heroic exploits of which earned her the accolade of ( the destroyer that fought like a battleship). Destroyer Escort That Fought Like a Battleship” in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in WW II. Later at 1010, taking 186 of her sailors into the Battle and failed! 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