1 Destroyer Escort vs the Japanese Fleet - USS Samuel B Roberts

[@TheIntelReport]

Play World of Warships Legends here wowsl.co/3AlM6Db and celebrate the game’s anniversary! Thank you World of Warships: Legends for sponsoring this video.

[@PitterPatter20]

I know there's a lot of horrific stuff that happened that day, but there's something about Sammy the dog deciding he just wanted to get back on the ship and go home that is just so sad. He didn’t know what was going on, he was totally innocent and just scared. Makes me tear up every time I hear it retold. RIP Sammy. What a great boy.

[@tigertiger1699]

I must say I often think of these animals.. as you say … they had no concept and in the end only fear…

[@mikewilson3169]

I met man in the mid 2000s who had been aboard the USS Johnston at Leyte. He was very proud of what his ship and the others of Taffy 3 had done, but he was beyond bitter at the the fleet's leaders. There was a long delay in searching for and finding the survivors of the sunken ships. He blamed the admirals that so many survivors spent so long in the water after the battle, where many perished to sharks, their wounds and exposure.

[@NVRAMboi]

I absolutely agree with him as I presume most here would. The decisions at the highest levels of the U.S. Navy in this battle as well as the handling of the Captain and crew of USS Indianapolis still make me angry to this very day. For me, it places a very large disclaimer* on the legacies of both Admiral Halsey and Admiral Ernest King. Shameful.

[@CaptainSeato]

@@NVRAMboi Like Captain Ramius said in the Hunt for Red October, "Halsey acted stupidly."

[@11C1P]

@@CaptainSeato And Monday morning quarterbacking is a lot easier with the 20/20 vision of hindsight.

[@RaytheonTechnologies_Official]

​@@11C1PGenerally I'd agree with you that people like you and me are not in the position to question decisions made in the heat of battle by people who were under tremendous pressure and didn't have all the information we now have. In the specific case of Admiral Halsey and the Battle off Samar, however, I am bothered by the fact that he appears to have disregarded his primary mission (i.e. to protect the landings) in order to chase personal glory (i.e. to destroy the Japanese carrier strike force). If it was simply a case of making the wrong decision I wouldn't hold it against him. The reason I think the sailors of Taffy 3 were justifiably aggrieved was that the Third Fleet commander appears, on the face of it, to have had questionable motivation for his bad decision.

[@Mechanized85]

Kinkaid made the same mistakes as Halsey in the 7th Fleet at Leyte Gulf. He over-relied on friendly forces for protection, neglecting his screening. Kinkaid failed to order any of his escort carriers to conduct extensive reconnaissance flights with SBDs and TBFs. He also didn't utilize available bombardment and battleships with ammunition to form a reserve force after Surigao Strait. Like Halsey, Kinkaid left flanks exposed. Worse, he positioned the escort carrier task group questionably near the Strait, without even forming up a destroyer or surface battle group screen to check for enemy presence. Nor did he have any relief or battle group forces positioned to potentially save the escort carriers if they got into trouble. Kinkaid's tactical failures, from neglecting screening to poor force dispositions, contributed as much as Halsey's to the Leyte Gulf near-disaster. Yet the blame has often fallen disproportionately on Halsey, overlooking Kinkaid's significant command shortcomings. So, You like it or not, I do not have much opinion on anything, Halsey is surely acted stupidly to attack the decoy force, But Kinkaid is just being stupid and lucky avoid to being blamed, otherwise, Kinkaid would no exception as he made a bunch of mistakes in this battle. just both admirals are almost certainly to cause a big disaster at Leyte Gulf. there's no bias about it.

[@DoubleGoon]

The Samuel B. and the Johnston were recently rediscovered in 2022 and 2021 respectively. They are the deepest wrecks ever found with the Johnston at a depth of 21,180ft (6,456 meters) and SBR at a depth of 22,621 ft (6,895 meters). They are likely located on top of cliffs, called encampments, inside the Philippine Trench. Exact locations is kept secret to avoid them being plundered however unlikely that may be.

[@TheIndianaGeoff]

It's very likely with Chinese ships ripping WW2 wrecks for the metal.

[@svenrio8521]

​@@TheIndianaGeoffNot just Chinese, most of the nations in Asia are poor and they're peope go out and do it. Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia

[@RaytheonTechnologies_Official]

@@svenrio8521 I don't think it would be economically feasible to recover metal for scrap use from 4 miles deep. If it were a hundred deep, maybe. But 20,000 feet? That's gonna require some very expensive equipment.

[@Ronritdds]

Pre WWII steel is valuable because it has no trace radiation from nuclear testing. Any steel made now, does. So the steel in shipwrecks has value.

[@KEVIN88GT]

​@@Ronritddstrace radiation? Huh? Why would that matter to people that want the steel for repeating

[@krispypriest5116]

“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." Capt Ernest Evans USN Medal Of Honor, USS Johnson, RIP fellow Native American brother and all the crews/soldiers that served in ww2. Never gave up, they never surrendered that day. Thanks for covering this Intel Report.

[@TheIntelReport]

Can I ask you all a favour? If you enjoy this documentary, could you please hit the like button and/or leave a comment, it helps us massively. Appreciate you all!

[@OutsideTheTargetDemographic]

Sir yes sir.

[@NVRAMboi]

Happy to. This episode again touches on one of my favorite WWII subjects.

[@KrisV385]

Done!

[@JohnDoe-wj7ht]

Sure.

[@outofturn331]

​@@OutsideTheTargetDemographicIt's aye aye sir

[@countbuggula]

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is an amazing book - everyone here should read it. I remember getting highly emotional reading. It struck me that if it was fictional I would have dismissed it as terrible writing because it was so unbelievable, but the fact is it actually happened. It's just beyond comprehension.

[@VeiledVerities]

I just ordered it from the WWII Museum (f*** Jeff Bezos) -- can't wait wait!!!! Both of my Grandfathers were in Europe and two of my great uncles worked in the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, MA

[@legoeasycompany]

The hardest part of reading that book is every time they mention steam pipes getting ruptured and how descriptive it was on what happened to the sailors unlucky enough to be nearby

[@IPMOSharp]

To paraphrase a saying - Good fiction is required to make sense. Real life is held to no such standard. Stories like this often make me think of that.

[@VeiledVerities]

@@countbuggula I'm an Army vet, but love US Naval history. I've seen interviews with sailors from WWII and they say they joined because they didn't want the misery of marching in the infantry. And, I get that the cruise from Pearl or the west coast to the "operational area" was somewhat routine and peaceful. But once you get there, and you go to GQ because Japanese torpedo and dive bombers are inbound? It's like a horror movie what happens on burning ships. Of course, I'll boo you at the Army Navy game, and would rather die in a foxhole, but holy f***ing sh*t -- what a generation!

[@bkjeong4302]

It’s unfortunately VERY inaccurate about both the overall strategic situation and about the battle itself due to following misinformation perpetuated by other, poorly researched secondary sources.

[@gzer0x]

“We will do what damage we can.” Is simultaneously the bravest and most heartbreaking call any unit can give.

[@theresaherman]

Old guy here. It’s sort of funny that the DEs cast such a low profile, the Japanese cruisers could not get there guns low enough to hit the Samuel B Roberts. I always thought this battle off Samar would make a terrific movie. But it’s so fantastic, nobody would believe it. Well done Taffy 3. Much respect to the Greatest Generation.

[@dashingrapscallion8812]

Left unsaid is that of the 7 escort carriers defended by the Johnston, Heerman, Hoel, and Samuel B. Roberts - only one was sunk. Those heroes charged a collection of Japanese ships - including the Yamato, even though one of the Yamato's three turrets weighed more than the entire tonnage of the charging American tin cans. Their sacrifice saved the rest of the escort carriers, and prevented the Japanese from destroying their ultimate target - the invasion ships carrying more than 30,000 U.S. soldiers.

[@airplanemaster1]

"The destroyer escort that fought like a battleship." 'Dogfights,' a TV show about the titular battles between aircraft, even had an episode about her and other WW2 ships.

[@ModernNCRph]

Absolute classic of a History Channel series. It is also my introduction to the late author James Hornfisher and his book.

[@Rickardsson99]

To watch the 14 in, 1500 lb shell fly past at Mach 2 must be one of the most frighteningly awesome things to see in the world. Naval combat is truly fascinating.

[@ErrantChordier]

Somewhere on KZbin there's a video about bombing the Tirpitz, and one of the interviewees mentions watching watching the 15" shells fly up toward the bombers but falling short

[@lolmao500]

Damn those sailors risking their lives to destroy key documents and equipment as everything is burning and exploding around them while their friends are dead is some bad ass stuff.

[@11C1P]

The USS Johnston (DD-557) also fought valiantly & sank at this battle. The Captain of their ship Ernest E. Evans earned the Medal of Honor & has had 2 ships named after him, USS Evans (DE-1023) & USS Ernest E. Evans (DDG-141)

[@ThugShakers4Christ]

It seems almost disrespectful to not put respect on the Johnston's name by leaving them out of the title

[@pirana6]

That immediate transition to a POV of a shell hitting a WWII era ship was indeed a choice...

[@jvwilliams]

literally..

[@bunsinh456]

i thought that was disrespectful as shit whoever did that edit. No offense to the IntelReport.

[@nuttyjawa]

absolutely jaring

[@ihicccup9446]

@@bunsinh456I feel like you’re massively overreacting

[@ThePeejRR]

@@bunsinh456 snowflake

[@NVRAMboi]

As small victories go, I'm thankful Capt. Copeland survived. IMO, he should've received the MoH as well (along with the legendary Ernest E. Evans of USS Johnston). The fact that the Sammy B. was found and then verified to be the deepest wreck yet known only adds to her men's glory. RIP to all of these great men. Am I correct in believing that USS Hoel has yet to be found as of this date (8/21/24) ? Thanks for another great video.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

RIP to the late author James D. Hornfischer

[@RaytheonTechnologies_Official]

@@TrickiVicBB71I'm a big fan (just finished reading The Fleet at Flood Tide, and previously read Neptune's Inferno, both great books) and I was not aware he had died. He was so young, it's a real tragedy.

[@philt2170]

I had no idea he passed. I had emailed him a few years past after reading, "Last Stand..." and he replied a few days later with an in-depth answer. it was a great exchange. RIP

[@KorbinX]

Jingles turned me on to Hornfischer, so glad he wad able to put his wisdom to paper befor ehe passed. Wonderful historian. Sad to see him pass

[@higginsj]

Hearing the up close and personal terror and immense bravery of those guys was quite something. Thanks for a great video and retelling

[@billlexington5788]

It may have been aboard the Sammy B, but I believe it was aboard Johnston where a crewman was making sure people had evacuated and found a mortally wounded gun crew member in a damaged 5 inch turret begging him to help load the shell he was holding since the rest of the gun crew was dead.

[@alexerny5552]

That was the Samuel B Robert’s. The same aft Five inch gun that detonated its own shell. The man was the gun captain, one Carr I believe. He has a ship named after him

[@laurapeter3857]

@@alexerny5552Paul Henry Carr

[@KaiserKiller]

This was by far my favorite series of videos you did.. the visualizations of such a massive naval battle really opened my eyes to this incredible battle Keep up the best history lessons I've had in my life!

[@MotoroidARFC]

Jesus. Dog food commercial pops up just after the telling of the dog swimming back to his sinking ship never to be seen again.

[@dy031101]

I always wish that the Battle off Samar would be made into a movie one day.

[@countbuggula]

It was skipped over during the heyday of WWII movies in the 60's and 70's because it put a big spotlight on Halsey, who was still the Navy's biggest poster boy for recruiting propaganda (and probably remained so until Top Gun came out). His blunders were not something they wanted widely known.

[@YoBoyNeptune]

Moviegoers would probably call it unrealistic

[@Jedsa009]

It’s a shame they never made one. This battle is perfect source material for Michael Bay movies.

[@glennac]

The movie In Harm’s Way starring John Wayne I always felt was based on the Battle of Surigao Strait. The US Navy turns back a Japanese advance with heavy losses on both sides. Of course place names are changed in the movie.

[@RCAvhstape]

They will screw it up.

[@sinofonyx]

Smashing work, as always! Love you lads.

[@TheIntelReport]

Much appreciated!

[@bull614]

Thank you for this. Hearing it from the sailors perspective, put this in a whole new light.

[@RigiLiquid945]

Amazing story telling in these videos!

[@TheIntelReport]

Thank you!

[@Blitz9H]

Your work is thorough and detailed and truly a gem. Thank you for your time and effort!

[@gjones9356]

Incredible to have this perspective. Thanks for making this!

[@hannahthomas6835]

Thanks for all you guys do! Your channels are such great ways for people to learn and immerse themselves in history.

[@criminy_]

Thanks for all the work you do and for publishing to this platform. I really appreciate you guys.

[@KyleMiddleton7]

A captain not being able to swim is wild. I believe you, but it's also just so unbelievable.

[@blindleader42]

Of all the ways of dying on a ship, either military or civilian, drowning is so far down the list in likelihood that the ability to swim has traditionally never even been considered worth learning let alone necessary. Even if you are a good swimmer and find yourself in the water, on average surviving is still a long shot.

[@KyleMiddleton7]

@@blindleader42 Yeah that makes sense, but if people could learn to fly, and I was a pilot, I think I'd still take the time to learn to fly. Just in case.

[@MrNicoJac]

A captain's job is to keep his ship alive. By the time the ship sinks, a captain had every reason to expect to be long dead. So the time spent learning how to swim would be better spent going over tactics or technical details once again. (note: morally I totally agree with you, I'm just voicing the devil's advocate here, and focusing on the brutal realities of war)

[@desmondd1984]

@@MrNicoJac also, they had life vests to at least keep them afloat long enough for rescue to arrive. If it didn't, the ability to swim wasn't going to be much help.

[@seththomas4332]

My grandfather was a Merchant Marine in 1944 then joined the US Navy in '48. He also owned multiple boats over the course of his life. He never learned how to swim, my grandma said he always found someone to take swim tests for him. I am not sure how that worked but that is what I was told.

[@RossOneEyed]

Always remember Taffy Three And the little Sammy B....

[@mattmrgn532]

The epitome of "its not the size of dog in the fight, but the size of fight in the dog."

[@creativeprop540]

One of the few times I actually get teary eyed is watching videos like this. Great job

[@shironasama0445]

The Destroyer Escort that fought like a battleship

[@vulcrider]

Always good content, always very well done!

[@TheIntelReport]

Much appreciated!

[@ForTehNguyen]

she is also the deepest shipwreck ever discovered

[@steveclark5357]

well done , thank you

[@TheIntelReport]

Our pleasure!

[@garyhinken1782]

My father was on this ship. I have met many of the survivors.

[@Broken_dish]

so cool to finally see the full story of this moment very good video

[@davidegazzaniga7558]

Top content as always!

[@TheIntelReport]

Appreciate it!

[@pokiishere-sebastian2126]

Excellent narration and touching stories!

[@NVRAMboi]

As I imagine,: "We're all going to die. There's no place to run or escape....so let's get on with operating this ship as best as we possibly can." Incredible.

[@2x2is22]

9:32 I think that's really why I became a ground pounder in the end. The Navy and Air Force just gotta sit in their ships or planes and take it. You might take more fire on the ground, but you can always find cover

[@MrOmega52]

I love your documentaries. They're very detailed and so informative. Keep'em coming.

[@geordiedog1749]

200lbs of over pressure is mental, by the way!

[@P_Nut8421]

RIP Little Sammy! a very good boy!

[@Isildun9]

He was the bestest boy of them all.

[@Cheesy930]

Legend has it he gave a Japanese sailor rabies 😭

[@BunkerFox]

@@Cheesy930 Impossible! He was a good boy and didn't have rabies

[@mcgibblets78]

Amazing work, thank you for all you do posting these great videos!

[@Billchungus-e3e]

I was both a blue and greenside corpsman. I can't imagine being a doc on a ship during the battle of lytte

[@Desertrat-007]

Thank you for telling their story I cant imagine surviving through any of that

[@lordtuxlozad]

Thanks a lot for your videos, I enjoy them so much!

[@matthaught4707]

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. What truly amazes me is the reserve of buoyancy on these vessels. It's truly amazing they were able to float with such a weight of balls on them.

[@tibach]

Tremendous work on all this Leyte Gulf content.

[@robbabcock_]

Great video! What a heroic bunch of men, RIP to the fallen that gave their all.

[@bigsarge2085]

Incredible history!

[@phillip0537]

What an amazing feed of heroism. Such a brave crew, truly inspiring.

[@somebloke3869]

Well told, lest we forget.

[@llahneb10]

I miss the days before sponsorships. Understand the necessity, now. But boy was it great.

[@Billy-y5b]

I Felt like they need to do a Movie or Documentary on USS Samuel B. Roberts, great video, Awesome info!

[@iamrichrocker]

first time i heard about the dog..that got me..and all those brave saliors ....uncommon valor in horrific situations..

[@lolmao500]

I worked in the canadian army archives and theres so many good ww1/ww2/vietnam stories in there... all still classified... such a shame.

[@soccerpractice0105]

Thanks. Great stuff

[@andrewdewit4711]

This story never gets old, especially when told by the Intel Report.

[@bobferry55]

Read the biography 20 years ago, about this ship and its flotilla . Fascinating it was

[@greygalah]

Well Done. That was a very good doc

[@jtadevich]

Listening to those experiences was difficult. The Operations Room is great for getting an overall picture of battles, but these personal experiences are just that, personal. I can hardly imagine actually being there and seeing what these men saw. Whew!

[@kqiesaw.9385]

Commenting to help with engagement: I like this video.

[@TheSamplebridge]

Rip little sammy

[@Redemmo]

Leaving a comment for the algorithm. Stunning story.

[@shingshongshamalama]

There isn't a film about little Sammy B purely because nobody would ever believe it.

[@jep77ray]

I always love your content and eagerly await the next upload!

[@LeRoux027]

How in the world does a CAPTAIN of a US NAVY SHIP travelling THE LARGEST BODY OF WATER ON PLANET EARTH not know how to SWIM?!?

[@austinblack7991]

Rip jack yusen he never got to see his ship again

[@matso3856]

How on earth has this not been made into a movie yet !?!?!

[@kenfulkerson9567]

WOW,S needs to add Destroyer escorts as they provide depth to the fighting ships of any Navy.

[@ElDoyle33]

How has there not been a movie made about this

[@kaptainkrunch6179]

Poor pup.

[@196cupcake]

The words to Sousa's "Stars and Stripes" has a line "let tyrants remember the day." This is the kind of thing that was referring to.

[@dbk_kvd]

USS Johnston and Sammy B are true MVPs

[@_Jfb]

Thank you :)

[@r0N1n_SD]

She is the deepest shipwreck ever discovered. Came here from that documentary ❤

[@Benic1991]

The thoughts of the Little Sammy running around the burning ship, probably absolutely terrified, is just awful! I know the men most have endured the same fear or worse but thinking about that poor dog is just so sad 💔 😢

[@derekweiland1857]

Excellent!

[@Crazcosmopwnu]

It'd be cool to see a video on USS Laffey, perhaps both the bore the name in WW2

[@Yawnz2]

11:39 Good lord man.....18 years old....man.....

[@ApirateTurned50]

USS Samuel B Roberts, the escort destroyer that fought like a battleship.

[@jondeere5638]

USS Samuel B Roberts was a destroyer escort ship, half the guns and torpedoes of Fletcher class destroyers like the USS Johnson and was not ordered to attack. She went in anyway.

[@edwardpate6128]

We really need a film about this battle by someone like Tom Hanks to do justice to these amazing sailors!

[@tmontgomery7592]

Poor dogo.

[@theoneandonlysoslappy]

Fight like Taffy 3.

[@samuelbennet8474]

Great vid

[@jimhrn8522]

That shaking wasn't the turbines, it was the shaft's trying to leave their bearings!

[@DamageControlParty]

Yesterday I watched (for the 3rd time) the lyete gulf series of video, this video is quite a ((good)) surprise

[@aidanlouw4274]

The destroyer that fought like a Battleship

[@Booze_Rooster]

Rohde's name is pronounced "Roh-dee". There's a whole paragraph in Hornfischer's book about how he corrected a superior when it was read off of the roster incorrectly in training by a CPO and was dubbed "shithead" for the rest of the cycle by that CPO.

[@loslobos786]

Taffy 3 had one thing going for them in the Battle, Japanese Commander Vice Admiral Kurita's own timidity. He just couldn't understand that this ferocious attack was not the vanguard of the American fleet but rather the desperate attempt of Taffy 3 to save their escort Carriers and Merchant vessels. Kurita seemed always to make the wrong decisions when faced with critical situations in Battle, he was the MVP of the US Navy.

[@andrewhicks982]

Yeah! Bump this video to the top algorithm!

[@zam6877]

What I find somehow most endearing, is the captain didn't know how to swim

[@cjaquino28]

I have the utmost respect for anyone willing to serve in the navy in wartime, because it has the most terrifying worse case scenario. In the air, you can bail out and use a parachute; if you can't, death is relatively quick. On the ground, there is a good chance of being assisted quickly. At sea, though, there is no guarantee of timely rescue, and the sea is downright hostile to humans; since God didn't find it feasible to grace us with gills.

[@raigarmullerson4838]

Love the content. Cheers from Estonia

[@outofturn331]

Superb

[@AmericanIdiot7659]

Sammy B. mentioned!!!!