The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

by James D. Hornfischer

  Chapter 31

  “The ship felt like it was shaking apart,” Charles Landreth, in Johnston, 120-21. “I was sure the next salvo was coming into the pilothouse,” Neil Dethlefs, in Johnston, 75. “It didn’t appear we would be alive much longer” and “I could tell by looking at him …,” Landreth, 120-21. You heard the whistling whine … Dix, Missing Off Samar, 32. “The men were coming out mortally scalded …,” Robert Prater, in Hoel, 69-70. Cdr. A. F. Beyer, Jr., spotted an American ship taking a terrific beating … a “curtain of flashes,” USS Raymond action report, Enclosure A, 2; Beyer’s sighting occurred between 7:56 and 8:14, as the Hoel was being hit repeatedly. The Dennis spotted a U.S. destroyer being hit at 8:02; USS Dennis, Deck Log, 409. “Lying on the deck, I looked down at myself…,” Bob DeSpain, personal narrative. “He looked up toward the bridge as if to say …,” Dix, 33-34. “They took no life jackets, left rafts and nets …,” Dix, 35. “The force of the explosion was so great…,” Roy Lozano, in Hoel, 42. “Money was fluttering everywhere …,” Myles Barrett interview. “Well, I sure as hell can see that” and “As far as accomplishing anything decisive …,” Hagen, “We Asked for the Jap Fleet,” 74.

  Chapter 32

  Gambier Bay’s plight, USS Gambier Bay action report; contact with Taffy 2 destroyers, E. Don Heric interview; CTU 77.4.2 action report, 15; Naylor, Rangefinder, 172; DesDiv 94, Combined TBS Log, Oct. 25, 1944. “I heard flight leaders from the other CVE group …,” VC-10 air action report No. 2-B. Huxtable narrative. The volume of ordnance flying the ship’s way …, Bill Cuming interview. Lost at sea, age 19 years, Hoyt, 201-2. “I’m ruined, I’m ruined,” “When are we gonna see some real action?” and “Well, buddy, is this enough action for you?” Hoyt, Men of the Gambier Bay, 203. “Small boys on my starboard quarter, intercept …,” CTU 77.4.3 action report, TBS Log Sheet, Enclosure G, 4. “ONLY ONE ENGINE X NO GYRO X NO RADARS,” USS Heermann action report, 9. “As I listened, it became evident…,” Hathaway, “The Battle as I Saw It,” 41. Each time a new salvo landed near, she was doused in a different color, Harold Whitney, “Battle of Samar;” USS Heermann action report, 22. Round after round I take from [Ralph] Sacco …, Urbanski, in Heermann, n.p. “God, let me see my wife and son …,” Robert Rutter letter to the author, June 22, 2003; Whitney, “Battle of Samar,” 14; Hathaway, 116. “Suddenly all thought was lost…” and “Heermann is smashing through the sea …,” Urbanski, in Heermann. “We were so far down by the head …,” Hathaway, 116. Litter of cigarette cartons and toilet paper …, Rutter, letter. “Just put more shoring in there …,” Whitney, 3. The navigator … as if he had been maimed with a shotgun blast, Phillips, God Rode Destroyer ‘X,’ 35. “Continue what you’re doing …,” Whitney, 2. “I’ll take it,” Whitney interview; Whitney, “Battle of Samar,” 14. “The most courageous order I’ve ever heard,” and “Commerce firing on that cruiser, Hagen.” Hagen, “We Asked for the Jap Fleet,” 74. “A most amazing thing happened …,” USS Johnston action report, 4. “They were sleek, streamlined …,” Hagen, 74. “More shells! More shells!” and “I’m sure glad there ain’t no Japs from Texas,” Hagen, 74; Clint Carter, in Johnston, 41. “Commander Evans, feeling like the skipper of a battleship …,” Hagen, 74. DesRon 10 had “accomplished the great feat of sinking …,” Ugaki, Fading Victory, 495.

  Chapter 33

  “Cruiser blows up and sinks,” Field, Japanese, 107. Lieutenant Sanders caught up in the rigging, and “The word was to abandon ship,” Willard Frenn, personal narrative. 2. “They were burned beyond belief!” Richard Santos, in Hoel, 75. “The next thing I knew, I was lying …,” Paul Miranda, in Hoel, 52. “I could see that he was seriously wounded …,” John Oracz, in Hoel, 60; Oracz remembers Lieutenant Streuter’s body going overboard, but Miranda recalls it resting against the portside rail. “The ship was listing severely to port…,” L. E. Walton, in Hoel, 82. When I woke up I was still in the CIC …, Everett Lindorff, in Hoel, 38-39. “The compartment was filled with the smell of burnt gunpowder …,” There were quite a few of us by the gun mount…, and “Somehow I knew they were abandoning the ship …,” Bob Wilson, in Hoel, 88-89. “We lost many of our shipmates to that one salvo …,”Jack Creamer, in Hoel, 15. On that side I had a chance to see so many more of the men dead…, Hugh Coffelt, in Hoel, 7-8. “That was the last we saw of friendly ships,” Dix, Missing off Samar, 33. Hoel’s final minutes …, “one of those disheartening things …” We had to pass her by …, Copeland, Spirit, 44.

  Chapter 34

  “Look at that little DE committing suicide,” Pierson, “Fighting Fanny Bee.” Whoever was out on the advance flank …, Copeland, Spirit, 45. “I came a little bit left, and when the range was closed …,” Copeland, 43. The account of the Roberts ’s duel with the Chikuma and the exploits of Gun 52 is from Copeland, 43-50. Carr’s squad in Gun 52 popped off 324 rounds, USS Samuel B. Roberts action report; the ship fired a total of 608 rounds during the battle. “We had the Jap cruiser on fire from the start of her bridge …,” Copeland, 45; USS Samuel B. Roberts action report; Burton amplifying report, 2.

  Chapter 35

  Pyzdrowski wondered whether the Japanese might try to board, Hoyt, Men of the Gambier Bay, 206. “Need a drink?” and “Better get these guys ready to go,” Hoyt, 207. Background on Japanese battleship gunnery and Tone’s firing on Gambier Bay, Haruo Mayuzumi, letter to Henry A. Pyzdrowski.

  Chapter 36

  “Captain, there’s fourteen-inch splashes …,” Copeland, Spirit, 45. “All engines back full!” “That was the one time …,” and “She just kind of lay down …,” Copeland, 46. Katsur “felt as though I were a bedsheet on a clothesline …” Bill Katsur, untitled narrative, 5. “An absolute flop on the deck force,” Copeland, 48; George Bray and Tom Stevenson interviews. “Mr. Roberts, would you please take the wheel …,” Copeland, 49-50. Destruction of Gun 52, Bray interview; Bray disagrees with Copeland’s account of these events, which the captain did not witness. “I felt sorry for him. He was running …,” Copeland, 56; Bray interview. “It seemed as if the whole ship …,” Copeland, 50. “As far as I could see, the ship was as nice …,” Copeland, 51; Bray interview and correspondence. “Stand by for tor—!” Dudley Moylan interview. I can see her right now. She had taken a terrific beating …, Copeland, 51. “I am sorry to hear about H. P. Inge …,” John LeClercq, letter to his mother, Oct. 9, 1944. “The few things you saw him do and say …,” Mittendorff, letter to Mrs. LeClercq. Tom Stevenson background, Stevenson interview.

  Chapter 37

  Hoel’s final moments, Myles Barrett, Clarence Hood, Sam Lucas, and Derrill Thompson interviews; Dix, Missing Off Samar. The sound of water lapping at the raft… and Good God, haven’t they done enough to us today? Dix, 38. Hoel’s Emi-rau incident, Hood interview; Dix, 39. And see the men, how tall they seem …, Dix, 39. The Japs are throwing grenades at us, Barrett interview. “My God, look at that thing!” Glenn Parkin, “Historical Account.” “Passing a fairly big dark red slick …,” Ugaki, Fading Victory, 495. Hellcat attacks, Parkin. It made us bitter then to watch that strength, Dix, 41.

  Chapter 38

  Triangulating from the source material to determine who was shooting at whom at any given point during this battle has been one of the challenges of writing this narrative. Taking the next step and drawing causal links between hits claimed and damage suffered is doubly difficult. In untangling the thicket of evidence concerning the cruisers Chokai and Chikuma, Tully’s analysis in “Solving Some Mysteries of Leyte Gulf” has been helpful. “ENGINE OUT OF COMMISSION,” Tully, citing Haguro action report; Morison, History, vol. 12, 266, 284; Ugaki, Fading Victory, 494-95. The account of the U.S. air attacks is from USS Kitkun Bay action report, Enclosure I (VC-5 action report) and CTU 77.4.2 action report, 15. “There was a burst of flame and simultaneously a column of water …,” CruDiv 7 War Diary, as quoted in Tully, Solving, 249–50. one propeller, speed eighteen knots, unable to STEER,” Prados, Combined Fleet, 675. “Heavy steam and black smoke rose to five
hundred feet…,” Kitkun Bay action report, Enclosure I, 3. “DIRECT BOMB HIT IN FORWARD MACHINERY SPACES…,” Tully, “Solving,” 255. “Scratch one CA,” VC-21 action report No. 66. “The cruiser was seen to smoke heavily …,” VC-21 action report No. 66; Tully, “Solving,” 255. Sinking of the Gambier Bay, USS Gambier Bay action report; Vieweg narrative. How many more are going to go? Larry Budnick interview.

  Chapter 39

  “Merc, straighten my leg out,” Bill Mercer, in Johnston, 129. “The place was full of smoke …,” Hagen, “We Asked for the Jap Fleet,” 74. Kurita’s state of mind and evaluation of circumstances is from Kurita, USSBS interrogation; Field, Japanese, 109, 116, 123-26; Morison, History, vol. 12, 296-300; and Ugaki, Fading Victory, 497. Herman Wouk’s well-researched analysis in his novel War and Remembrance is also of note. “Outfought by pygmies …,” Field, 126. “My situation is critical …” Prados, Combined Fleet, 682. “Anxieties are the test and penalty of greatness …” and Strenuous, unrelaxing pursuit…, Mahan, Mahan on Naval Warfare, 80. Rendezvous, my course north, speed 20, Yamato action report, per Morison, vol. 12, 297. “All ships reassemble” and “Gradually reassemble,” Morison, vol. 12, 297 n. 15.

  Chapter 40

  Tex Waldrop intercepting torpedoes, Ciolek, “What Did You Do,” 11; USS St. Lo action report, 4. “Goddamn it, boys, they’re getting away!” and “I could not believe my eyes …,” Sprague, “The Japs Had Us on the Ropes,” 116. “I had really done some deep thinking …” and “I don’t expect we’re going to see the sunset…,” Bill Brooks interview. He found a quiet place to pray …, Van Brunt, “A Bird’s-Eye View,” 4.

  Chapter 41

  “I would advise the captain to abandon ship,” Moore, “A Japanese Admiral’s narrative,” 4. “Abandon ship, men. Well done.” Moore, 5. “Under fire, you’re thinking about your family …,” Tom Stevenson interview. In Spirit Bob Copeland has Stevenson going belowdecks with George Schaffer to carry out the ship destruction bill; Stevenson remembers that it was Charles Natter. “All of a sudden there was another big blast…,” Richard Rohde interview. Sammy’s disappearance is from Copeland, 56, and George Bray interview. “Now, Bob, I want you to go down …,” and “Captain, I’m not leaving until you leave,” Copeland, 53. “It gave me an awfully hurt and crushed feeling …,” Copeland, 53. “It really made me sick at my stomach …” and “We ripped blue chambray shirts …,” Copeland, 53-54. “Captain, do you think I’ll live?” Copeland, 54. “I don’t think there was a whole bone in them,” “The ship had been a very live thing …,” and “That one picture …,” Copeland, 54. “It had taken all the heart out of me,” Copeland, 55. The death of Paul Henry Carr is per Copeland, 55, and George Bray interview.

  Chapter 42

  “How do you go about getting out of here?” Copeland, Spirit, 57. The rest of the account of the Samuel B. Roberts is from George Bray, Bud Comet, Vince Goodrich, Dudley Moylan, Richard Rohde, Tom Stevenson, and Jack Yusen interviews. “We were the proudest ship in the fleet,” Stevenson interview. “Boys, take off your hats …,” Ray Chambless, letter to Geroge Bray. “As first lieutenant he knew …” and “It seemed as if the bottom had dropped out…,” Copeland, 58. “There was going to have to be rationing …,” Moore, “A Japanese Admiral’s narrative,” 6.

  Chapter 43

  “Water columns were substantially higher …,” Bob Deal, in Johnston, 70. “It felt like a freight train’s coal box …,” Allen Johnson, in Johnston, 115. “An avalanche of shells,” USS Johnston action report, 4. “When I jumped over, I had two thoughts …,” Dusty Rhodes, in Johnston, 155. I peered out and couldn’t see a living soul…, Hagen, “We Asked for the Jap Fleet,” 74. “I recall Marquard took his comb …,” Bill Mercer, in Johnston, 130. “Mr. Hagen, we got off all ten …,” Hagen, 74. I would watch for belches of fire …, Ellsworth Welch, in Johnston, 183. “There was a terrible, blinding yellow flash” and “Everyone who was able to abandon ship …,” Bob Sochor, in Johnston, 165. In his essay “Experience” Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “So much of our time is preparation, so much is routine, and so much retrospect that the pith of each man’s genius contracts itself to very few hours.”

  Chapter 44

  Sprague received a voice message assuring him help was on the way is from Sprague’s marginalia in his copy of Woodward, Battle for Leyte Gulf, 171. See also Morison, History, vol. 12, 294-96. “I told Strick that I was sticking close …” and “Kid, I have never seen anything like this,” Bill Mercer, in Johnston, 130. “As I watched, she started to sink …,” Orin Vadnais, in Johnston, 179. “The skin was hanging from his arms and hands …” and “Boy, I sure am,” Neil Dethlefs, in Johnston, 77. “He was very young and religious” and ‘Take your last look at the Johnston, ’ Bob Sochor, in Johnston, 165. “Seeing my home go down …,” Ellsworth Welch, in Johnston, 184. “I still remember that helpless feeling …,” Bob Chastain, in Johnston, 48. A giant enema, Clint Carter, in Johnston, 42. “They were watching us …,” Chastain, 48. “It appeared to me that every man on her deck …,” Carter, 42. Japanese saluting, Dethlefs, 77. “As she eased by us …” and “Three years of war and they were still eating …,” Carter, 42. “I thought my body had been blown in half,” Charles Landreth, in Johnston, 122. All ships except Shigure went down …, Morison, vol. 12, 238.

  Chapter 45

  “Okay, we’ll try that…,” Van Brunt interview. “Sir, that’s a Jap,” Crawforth interview. Kamikaze hit on St. Lo, McKenna, “Narrative of Events;” USS St. Lo action report; Morison, History, vol. 12, 302; Reynolds et al., “America’s Greatest Naval Battle,” Jan. 27, 1945, 70, 72; and Larry Budnick, Holly Crawforth, John Getas, and Thomas B. Van Brunt interviews.

  Part III

  Chapter 46

  This account of the Roberts survivors in the water is based on Copeland, Spirit, and on George Bray, Bud Comet, Richard Rohde, Tom Stevenson, and Jack Yusen interviews.

  Chapter 47

  This narrative of the air attack on the departing Center Force is drawn from the action reports of CTU 77.4.2, VC-5 (Enclosures H and I in the USS Kitkun Bay action report), VC-20, VC-21, VC-65, VC-68, and VC-75, as well as from Y’Blood, Little Giants, 237-41, and William Brooks, Joseph Downs, Thomas Lupo, Richard Roby, and Thomas B. Van Brunt interviews. “Oh man, you got her, you got her!” Downs interview.

  Chapter 48

  “Hey, what’s for chow?” Arnold, “Come On Boys,” 123-24. It seems his mission lasted longer than his memory: Tom Stevenson told me that he met this pilot at a Taffy 3 reunion in Charleston several years ago. The pilot, unable to land on his CVE after the battle, had been diverted to an airfield on Leyte. By the time he landed, he had forgotten the coordinates of the survivors. “I was trying to survive too,” the flier said to Stevenson at the time. Death of Charles Natter: Bob Copeland learned the details of Natter’s demise from John Conway after the war (Copeland, Spirit, 59). Fifty shark fins cutting the surface, and I’ve read a lot of stories …, Copeland, 59. Copeland’s conversation with Bob Roberts is from Copeland, 60.

  Chapter 49

  “Our thoughts were, 3,000 ships … It won’t be long now,” Ellsworth Welch, in Johnston, 184. Like “an eighteen-year-old boy going on forty,” Bill Mercer, in Johnston, 131. A Johnston sailor … asked to be put out of his misery …, Milt Pehl interview; see also Pehl, in Johnston, 149, which does not describe a mercy killing but states only that the sailor “succumbed and was finally at peace.” “Why don’t we all sing? … I remember a few people started singing …” Richard Rohde interview.

  Chapter 50

  God, if you get me out of this …, Tom Stevenson interview. “It seemed very much like an entire week of darkness,” Moore, “A Japanese Admiral’s narrative,” 7. “The interior of Samar must be made a howling wilderness,” “Remembering Balangiga,” in Jim Zwick, ed., Sentanaryo/Centennial: The Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War, www.boondocksnet.com/centennial/balangiga.html. The pulajan insurgency… “the bloody island,” Hurley, Ju
ngle Patrol. “What had been a very noisy group …,” Harold Beresonsky, in Johnston, 9. “My contract with the Navy was to fight the enemy, not sharks,” Ellsworth Welch, in Johnston, 184.