USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413)

The USS "Samuel B. Roberts" (DE-413) was a "John C. Butler"-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy whose fierce attack against a superior Japanese force helped save the United States invasion fleet during the 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf and earned her the nickname "the Destroyer Escort that fought like a Battleship". ["Dogfights: Death of the Japanese Navy"]

Named after Coxswain Samuel Booker Roberts, Jr., a Navy Cross recipient, the "Roberts" was laid down on 6 December 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding of Houston, Texas; launched on 20 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Samuel B. Roberts; and commissioned on 28 April 1944 with Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland, USNR, in command. Following shakedown off Bermuda from 21 May to 19 June and availability at Boston Navy Yard, "Samuel B. Roberts" departed from Norfolk, Virginia on 22 July 1944, went through the Panama Canal on 27 July, and joined the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 10 August.

The ship conducted training exercises, then sailed on the 21st with a convoy that reached Eniwetok on 30 August. On 2 September, "Roberts" steamed back for Pearl Harbor, arriving there with a convoy on the 10th. Following further training, the ship got underway on the 21st, escorted a convoy to Eniwetok, and arrived on 30 September. "Samuel B. Roberts" proceeded to Manus Island and joined Task Unit 77.4.3, "Taffy 3", then steamed for the Leyte Gulf area and commenced operations with the Northern Air Support Group off Samar.

Shortly after dawn on 25 October 1944, "Samuel B. Roberts" was protecting American escort carriers off Samar, when a Japanese task force suddenly appeared on the horizon and opened fire. After joining in a daring torpedo attack on the Japanese cruiser "Chōkai", and scoring a torpedo hit on one and at least 40 gunfire hits on a second, "Samuel B. Roberts" was hit by a salvo of 14 inch (356 mm) shells which tore a hole 40 feet (12 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) wide in the port side of her No. 2 engine room. The ship was abandoned and soon sank. The 120 survivors clung to 3 life rafts for 50 hours before being rescued. In the midst of this battle, "Samuel B. Roberts", designed for 23 to 24 knots (43 to 44 km/h), reached 28.7 knots (53 km/h) by diverting all available steam to the ship's twin turbines.

"Samuel B. Roberts" was included in the Presidential Unit Citation given to TU 77.4.3 "for extraordinary heroism in action." "Samuel B. Roberts" earned one battle star for World War II service.

The destroyer escort was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 27 November 1944.

Notes

References

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Further reading

*cite book|author=Copeland, RADM Robert W. (with O'Neill, Jack E.)|title=The Spirit of the Sammy B|publisher=USS Samuel B. Roberts Survivors Association http://de413.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/7/|year=reprinted 2007|
*cite book|author=Cutler, Thomas|title=The Battle of Leyte Gulf: 23–26 October 1944|publisher=|year=|id=ISBN|
*cite book|author=Doscher, J. Henry Jr.|title=Little Wolf at Leyte: The Story of the Heroic USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) in the Battle of Leyte Gulf During World War II|publisher=Eakin Press|year=1996|id=ISBN 1-57168-082-9
*cite book|author= Hornfischer, James D.|title=The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
publisher=Bantam|year=2004|id=ISBN 0-553-80257-7
* Samuel Eliot Morison, "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II", Volume 12, "Leyte."

ee also

* USS "Samuel B. Roberts" for other ships bearing the same name.

External links

* [http://www.bosamar.com/reading/sammyB/sammyb.html Copeland's memoirs]
* [http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-de413.shtml DE 413 timeline]
* [http://www.de413.org/ The Samuel B. Roberts Survivors Association]
* [http://www.bosamar.com/ The Battle Off Samar - Taffy III at Leyte Gulf website by Robert Jon Cox]