Favourite warship

[machine shop tom]

Originally Posted by Slipdigit

Here are four more of my favorites, the Destroyers and Destroyer Escort of Task Force 77.4.3, for that one helluva fight they put up against the BBs and CAs of Adm Kurita's Center Force off Samar, in defense of the carriers of Taffy 3.

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
USS Heermann (DD-532 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
USS Johnston (DD-557 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
USS Hoel (DD-533 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Commander Ernest Evans, Captain of the Johnston, earned the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

All four ships earned the Presidential Unit Citation.

Hey, Slip, have you read "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors"? (Hornfischer)? I can't recommend it highly enough. Another good reference to the Battle off Samar is in "The Little Giants" (Y'Blood).

tom

[Slipdigit]

Originally Posted by machine shop tom

Hey, Slip, have you read "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors"? (Hornfischer)? I can't recommend it highly enough. Another good reference to the Battle off Samar is in "The Little Giants" (Y'Blood).

tom

You know I have, Tom. You and I talked about it a while back. It is great book.

The more I read and study about that fight, the more impressed I get with what those men accomplished. Those skippers turned those little ships into the fray knowing full well that they were probably going to die and take their crew with them. But they went anyway.

Ziggy Sprague did everything right that day and I am sure that type of battle had never been discussed, much less planned for. Lets see, lets run a scenerio where a group of 6 slow jeep carriers provisioned with ground attack ordinance, screened by 3 destroyers and 4 destroyer escorts, are attacked by 4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers. Naw, that'll never happen. Besides, if it did, the carriers and escorts will be toast. Un...be...lievable.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by Slipdigit

You know I have, Tom. You and I talked about it a while back. It is great book.

The more I read and study about that fight, the more impressed I get with what those men accomplished. Those skippers turned those little ships into the fray knowing full well that they were probably going to die and take their crew with them. But they went anyway.

Ziggy Sprague did everything right that day and I am sure that type of battle had never been discussed, much less planned for. Lets see, lets run a scenerio where a group of 6 slow jeep carriers provisioned with ground attack ordinance, screened by 3 destroyers and 4 destroyer escorts, are attacked by 4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers. Naw, that'll never happen. Besides, if it did, the carriers and escorts will be toast. Un...be...lievable.

Attack is the best form of defence?

[Gen.Horrocks]

I like the H.M.S INDOMITABLE.She was a beautiful Aircraft Carrier.Gen.Horrocks.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by canadiancitizen

I notice that only ONE person paid a bit of a tribute to the Corvettes, and NO ONE mentioned the Tribal clsss destroyers, either RN or RCN.

Jim Bunting . Toronto.

With respect Jim, the question was "favourite" warship and I chose my two.

The RAN also had Australian built Corvettes and tribal class destroyers who acquitted themselves splendidly. None though are classed as my favourite.


Cheers

Geoff

[Slipdigit]

Originally Posted by spidge

Attack is the best form of defence?

I missed your comment, Geoff.

In this situation it was. I wonder what would have been the outcome had the DDs and DE not charged so aggressively into Japanese fleet? I would love to talk to one of the men that was on these ships.
The Presidential Unit Citation means as much to me as the MoH. I wonder if it is the same with men who actually served.

[machine shop tom]

Originally Posted by Slipdigit

I missed your comment, Geoff.

In this situation it was. I wonder what would have been the outcome had the DDs and DE not charged so aggressively into Japanese fleet? I would love to talk to one of the men that was on these ships.
The Presidential Unit Citation means as much to me as the MoH. I wonder if it is the same with men who actually served.

I can tell you without hesitation that my dad was very proud of the Presidential Unit Citations that he and his ship were awarded. He spoke with quiet pride, never boastfully or loudly, about them.

You may notice that I speak of the PUC in the plural. I do so because the Fanshaw Bay and her crew receive TWO PUCs. One was for her participation in the Battle off Samar and the other was for her participation in the Marianas, Western New Guinea, Leyte, Okinawa, and Third Fleet operations against Japan. The Fanshaw Bay and her air groups were in these operations for 124 days straight.

The Fanshaw Bay also received the Award of the Phillipine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge. That could make it 3 PUCs.......

Not bad for a ship that was Combustlble, Vulnerable, and Expendable.

tom

[spidge]

=Slipdigit;136980]

Ziggy Sprague did everything right that day and I am sure that type of battle had never been discussed, much less planned for. Lets see, lets run a scenerio where a group of 6 slow jeep carriers provisioned with ground attack ordinance, screened by 3 destroyers and 4 destroyer escorts, are attacked by 4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers. Naw, that'll never happen. Besides, if it did, the carriers and escorts will be toast. Un...be...lievable.

You can be assured that the Japanese had not discussed it either and were put totally on the back foot. They were used to these types of ships turning tail against such a force.

Maybe the Japanese thought that this group was a seaborne version of tokubetsu kōgeki tai "Special Attack Units" from which Kamikaze was taken.

To anyone seeing this battle, it could be thought of nothing else but suicidal.