On October 27, 1943, at the commissioning ceremony for the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Johnston, the new skipper, CDR Ernest Evans, declared, “This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go into harm’s way, and if anyone doesn’t want to go he had better get off right now. Now that I have a fighting ship, I will never retreat from an enemy force.” Three hundred and sixty-three days later, at the Battle off Samar, CDR Evans died living up to those words. Learn about the sacrifice of both USS Johnston's commander and crew in the Battle off Samar in part 9 of our Leyte Gulf video series.
This 11-part video series explores the Battle of Leyte Gulf in-depth, using accounts from veterans who fought that battle. Many of the veterans who fought at Leyte Gulf have since passed on, but before they died, they left behind vivid accounts of their experiences. In this video series, voice actors read aloud their words to bring their experiences back to life. From them, we can learn what it was like to have witnessed one of the largest naval battles in world history.
All videos are researched, written, and produced by staff and volunteers at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.