The USS Johnston was authorized into full service in 1943.
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Ernest Evans, known under the tag “Big Chief,” was a Cherokee and Greek American Indian, who was with his staff, quoted the American Revolutionary War Hero John Paul Jones when he described the ship.
“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.”
The upcoming winter, the destroyer went towards the Marshall Islands and then into history.
Evans was a great captain who led his men’s crew very bravely, deserving their respect and admiration. In the Battle of the Philippines, the Captain, together with his crew of 185 sailors and officers, faced death in the Pacific Ocean’s waters while defending the American invasion force.
They defended America from a massive Japanese fleet which was outmanned, outgunned, and out-armored.
The Americans were tricked by the Japanese when they sent an almost empty decoy fleet that grasped the U.S. focus. Admiral William Halsey Jr. took the American Third Fleet, leaving only a small crew behind him, among which were Johnston and two destroyers.
At the moment when Japanese forces, led by the powerful Admiral Takeo Kurita and his Center Force, Americans couldn’t even hope for help because it was way too late.
With the most significant amount of weapons and munitions, the ship led the Center Force, which was impressive. The most powerful boat was Yamato, and it consisted of another battleship, two other battleships, eleven destroyers, six heavy cruisers, and two light cruisers. Every single addition had at least ten torpedoes. The damage these weapons could do is enormous.
Together with his crew, Evans led a desperate charge in defense of the unarmed carriers. Robert Hagen, gunnery sergeant, who had only 25 years, testified “the biggest battleship I ever saw.”
At that moment, the young boy looked at Evans, his Captain, and said:
“Please, sir, let’s not go down before we fire our damn torpedoes.”
As the foe approached, the destroyers, together with the smaller ships of the Taffy 3, went in, where they made a weapon exchange within 5,000 yards distance of their enemy. As the evidently stronger opponent, loaded with numerous colored dyes, surrounded the American ships, rainbow explosions filled the rainy skies.
Precisely at 7 a.m., the Taffy 3 headed in full sail, fighting and torpedoing through the Japanese super battleship, while simultaneously the American planes were dropping their depth charges, firing until they spent their last bullet.
According to the reports, one pilot even opened fire from a cockpit using his 9mm pistol. He wanted to cause as much damage as possible, as well as to confuse the foe.
Evan charged to the stern of his ship, ordered the crew to keep fighting!!
The 18-inch shells from the Japanese battleship, Yamato, caught Johnston, slowing the speed, so they weren’t one step ahead of the enemy anymore.
The National WWII Museum stated: “Captain Evans ordered his small ship back into the fray and for a period of over 60 minutes, engaged at least eight enemy ships before his destroyer was fatally struck by enemy gunfire.”
The Imperial Navy surrounded her, dead in the water, battering the boat more rapidly than the staffers could repair her and persuading the wounded Captain to order the crew to leave the ship.
The crew jumped in the sea as the Johnston drowned. The survivors of the shipwreck will never forget the moment of the Captain of the passing Japanese destroyer saluting the courageous Americans.
His men regarded Evans and two other officers sticking to wreckage in their lifejackets. These three had served in their ships since Johnston was commissioned, and they weren’t pulled to safety in time.
The American forces were defeated, but they did an excellent job confusing the Japanese, who believed that this crazy attack signified that the Third Fleet was behind them.
Evans was awarded postmortem, for the bravery, with the Medal of Honor.
He was the first American Indian in the United States of America to receive this kind of medal and among the destroyer, captains to receive the same award during the Second World War.
Hagen wrote: The most inspirational leadership and actions of our Captain, inspired heroic deeds from the entire crew.”
That day was one of the Pacific’s bloodiest engagements, where nearly 1,600 Americans would sacrifice their lives.
The Johnston remained at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, undiscovered for more than three-quarters of a century. Then, one deep Sea Explorer, Victor Vescovo, a retired Navy officer, discovered it in October 2019. The revelation happened 74 years after the incident occurred.
After two years, Vescovo, together with his team, Galadan Oceanic, identified the boat and realized it was USS Johnston, which was placed into 20,000 feet deep bottom of the Pacific Ocean. USS Johnston is the deepest wreck ever revealed.
Rear Admiral Sam Cox (retired), director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, stated, “it was a brutal and bloody fight. That serves as a sobering reminder for today’s Sailors: After all that’s asked of them in day-to-day service, they, like their shipmates aboard Johnston, may one day be asked for far more.”
Rest in peace, brave heroes of the USS Johnston.
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Source: thefederalist.com
