My grandfather was on the USS Miami and fought in this battle. It was probably one of the scariest battles he took part of. R.I.P James Davenport 1923-2019, one of my heroes and my grandfather.

How ironic that the rise of the Imperial Japanese Navy started with the Battle of Tsushima, the first modern battleship vs battleship battle and ended with the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship vs battleship battle.

I love hearing the USS West Virginia was able to lay the smackdown after Pearl Harbor. Great video as always!

My Grandpa was on the Astoria when it was sunk at Savo Island. He survived and was on the West Virginia at Leyte Gulf.

USN after Pearl harbor: You cant die yet West Virgina, you got a fleet to burn.

Finally a Documentary that mentions that the Aussies were actually there, it's always only the US fight, don't always believe what history tells you people. Thanks Dark Docs for mentioning that, one Proud Aussie.

"The Japanese had been salvaged." Wow, that is savage. Really savage.

The battle of Leyte Gulf had one of the finest displayed of courage and valor in history. The USS Johnston for example, a Fletcher class destroyer, commanding by Captain Evans, he and his crew would have one of the most epic last stand in history. Witness Account - The USS Johnston was saluted by a Japanese destroyer captain as it was sinking, after spending nearly 3 hours squaring off against 23 Japanese ships, including 4 Battleships, 8 Cruisers and 11 destroyers.

I Remember I good story from my girlfriend dad who in 1979 was just getting ready to retire he had been in the NAVY starting from 1941 and had been on the West Virginia from the sinking to its rebuild to it going back into the fleet they let the Pearl guys who where still on the gun crews press the tigger to send rounds down range and he told the story with a big big smile on he face outside of that he never talk about his time during WW2 Korea or Vietnam and his home was the Philippines start out as a mess Stewart ended as a Master chief

I'm a Filipino and I've heard of this Naval Battle it is very famous here in the Philippines thank you for sharing it 😇

The people complaining about how fast you're talking can watch at 0.75x speed. Keep up the awesome work!!

As a person who grew up on the Surigao Straight, with family in the political and historical fields, I can proudly say this was phenomenal. Also let’s not forget the crew of the Pt boats that’s harassed the Japanese Southern force!

USS West Virginia, California, and Tennessee were truly beautiful and very capable battleships after their post Pearl Harbor rebuilds! The only limitation they had compared to more modern ships was slow 21 knot top speed. Their radar, gunnery and such were top notch!

There were some really strange things on the Japanese side at Surigao Straight. It wasn't that Shima failed to link up with Nishimura. He was never supposed to. They were on entirely different chains of command, each with similar but not quite the same orders. There was no communication or coordination between them. Nishimura was under Admirral Kurita and the Center Force. Shima was controlled directly from Luzon. They each knew the other was there more or less. But assumed Shima was hours behind Nishimura. Shima's cruisers pretty much turned around when they met the Yamashiro and Mogami coming back the other way, on fire, with completely destroyed superstructures. It took them a bit to divine what had happened as neither Yamashiro nor Mogami were capable of signaling. If I remember correctly Mogami was nearly sunk by Shima but at the last minute the remaining crew led by junior officers managed to cobble together the set of color coded identifier lights that marked it as a friendly vessel. Nishimura was long since dead by this point. It was a pitch black night. With the Japanese ships running bow to stern with only a single shielded light front and rear marking each ship to the next ship in line. When the devastating wave of American torpedos hit and the 2 Destroyers exploded, nobody noticed the Fuso suddenly heal out of line and sail into the darkness and roll over. She had been between the Yamashiro and the Mogami. Their Captains each thought the ship ahead or behind was the Fuso and simply closed the difference. They never realized the Fuso was gone until the world exploded around them.

The smackdown at surigao straight more like it. 6 American BBs slinging round after round of HE and AP really put a hurting on the IJN and finally got one in for the boys and girls who passed at pearl. One of my favorite history lessons I’ve ever invested myself in.

00:19 Back in the day, naval soldiers were called sailors.

My 9th grade History teacher spent a week on the Battle of Leyte Gulf. It was what got me into really liking history.

What an outstanding batte, the Pearl Harbor veteran Uss. West Virginia was at Surigao Straight, a beautiful battleship that got revenge for the other ships that were sunk.

There will never be a boat more badass than a big battleship

You left out the USS Mississippi (BB-41), which accompanied the Pearl Harbor BBs in the battle line. She fired the last salvo of the battle, possibly after a ceasefire had been ordered, due to difficulties with her radar which was not as advanced as the ships refit after their damage or sinking in '41. I sadly never attended one of the ship's reunions as I was too young when they were still in much attendance, but our family still has an inscribed piece of her deck plating taken before she was scrapped.

To be sure, the Japanese Southern Force was pretty well decimated by the destroyers, cruisers and aircraft of Admiral Jesse Oldendorf’s Seventh Fleet by the time his old battleships “crossed the T.”

Man, by this time in the war the Japanese were just getting their asses handed to them time and time again. These later battles were so one-sided that any Japanese action was simply put a suicide mission.

I really like your presentation style. Straight forward with verbal punches right where they are needed. Well done sir.

YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT LEYTE WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THE USS JOHNSTOWN AND LT. CMDR. ERNEST EVANS.

It's a shame the USS West Virginia was scrapped, she should've been turned into a museum ship, or atleast sent off with a bang.

My grandfather was on uss Missouri I'm glad it never sank bit he passed away in 2012 but I'm still proud of him

Pennsylvania, California, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Maryland bloom out of the darkness in front of the Japanese. "Do you remember us?"

My grandfather was there! He flew an SB2C helldiver!

Those battleships that survived Pearl hoooo boi they wanted Japanese blood

The IJN Shigure had a reputation for being a lucky ship in the Japanese Navy.

Thank you for libirating our country love for Philippines 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

When you made the quiet kid talk on a project presentation:

IJN mussashi is resting now at philippines SEA! my grandmother and father told me that they saw the Mussashi and they told me it was a beast and biggest ship! (i was playing battleship pacific when they heard mussashi and i show them the picture and they told me the story)

The poor little PT boats went through a lot to finally achieve a torpedo hit on Shima's light cruiser Abukuma. That should at least be mentioned. Also, Abukuma was one of the most unlucky ships of the IJN: Not only did it catch a torpedo that had run under a destroyer, it was finally sunk days later by bombs from B-24s. One of the few times that happened during the Pacific War.

Filipino here, I'm glad to say that we have a museum here in the Strait, next to the port there in Surigao. My Mom's hometown is near the area, so we visit the place if we can whenever we go home to her place and it's a beautiful site

My Papaw fought during the battle of Samar… he was a Radioman on the USS Gambier Bay

“Naval soldiers” if only we had a name for them

Dark Docs does such an amazing job the channel always piques my interest in WW2 history. Thank you for your report on the Battle of Leyte Gulf. My father was a Navy Corpsman and went ashore with McArthur's Army during the initial landings. I served 26 years in our Air Force. My son served 20 years in the Army and my youngest daughter serves our Veterans in the VA. My father's survival was due in part to the brave actions of many of our navel units during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. My thanks and that of my family go out to those brave sailors.

Amazing... I'm an American Vet living on Leyte island. Thanks for putting this out!

My dad was on the Mississippi during this battle. Not sure how I’ve not seen this video before as I’m always looking. Well done

The book “last stand of the tin can sailors” is an amazing historical account of the great sacrifices made by a handful of destroyers during this battle. Highly recommend it!

Johnston and Sammy B both made absolutely incredible last stands, fought well above their weight, and are the two deepest shipwrecks ever found.

My uncle was ViceAdmiral Herbert V.Wiley Comanding officer of the U.S.S.WestVirginia at the battle. Vengence on the jappanese fleet was a pleasure. My mother was an Army surgeon and served through North Africa, Sicily, Italy & the D-day invasion. She lost her first husband and four of her brothers at the attack on Pearl Harbor. Destroying the japanese navy was an obligation to keep.

I have watched your channels for a long time. Never get a bad video! Thank you 👍

Taffy 3 and this battle showed how strong American ships truly were!! The weight of their *crews* (added for context) testicles alone must have been enough to draft the ships a few inches! If you are unaware of the men who lead a charge into the jaws of an enemy that was overwhelmingly more equipped and they were outgunned by every ship they faced. The Yamato was and still is the largest battleship to ever be built she had 18inch guns the average battleship carried 15-16 inch tops and the shells weighed as much as a Volkswagen beetle! The insanity really comes to light when its mentioned the Yamato by itself WEIGHED MORE THAN THE ENTIRE TAFFY 3 BATTLE GROUP!!!! 2000 marines were saved from guaranteed slaughter by the courage and selfless acts seen this day... i tear up everytime im reminded of this 😭 when i realize how true heroes have singlehandedly saved so many and gave the ultimate sacrifice. The individual stories will chill your bones knowing that THESE AMERICANS WERE WELL AWARE OF THE ADVERSARY AND STILL STOOD UP AND TOOK A STAND AGAINST THE MOST POWERFUL BATTLESHIP AND HER ACCOMPANYING HEAVY/LIGHT CRUISERS AND HER DESTROYERS! GOD BLESS THESE MEN WHO STOOD UP TO EVIL AND SAVED SO MANY LIVES.

Filipinos Meanwhile: This, puts a smile on my face.

He talkin at the speed of light!

My dad's oldest brother, Junior was on the West Virginia at Pearl Harbor. I never had the opportunity to talk with him about that, not an easy man to talk to. The only thing I remember him saying was how horrible it was when the Arizona exploded.

Naval soldiers? That would be Marines and Sailors then. Adjust playback speed to 0.75 before viewing.

I served on the USS Leyte Gulf. Thank you for your history!

Damn. I love how Japanese built prows on their battleships. Those curves and the Chrysanthemum Seal. Beautiful.

My favorite battle in this big ship skirmish was in Samar: legend has it, the viking screams of a single US destroyer can still be heard chasing away Japanese ships to this day.

What's the rush? Slow down the speech man.

Almost Heaven USS West Virginia

Six of my uncles & my dad were in this. Navy,Army & Marines. They all made it home and it haunted them that many did not. They would seldom talk about the war. Now they are all gone and I looked up their service record and Wow.

God man I love this channel. Dude you need to do a full documentary. I would gladly pay for an hour long special. Keep it up man. Easily one of the BEST channels on KZfaq or fuck even cable. This guy beats the history channel all to hell.

Thank you Dark Docs for showing this, this means alot for all Filipinos and the Allies who suffered losses during WW2, it's so special to me and to them. I and we are proud of you, MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS AT SI DD!!!!!!!!

My late grandfather was a local guerilla under the command of Ruperto Kangleon in that battle. The stories he would tell me about that time were the best!! I have his (as heirloom) M1 Garand, Thompson SMG, 1911 .45 Pistol, canteen and the three bullets that struck him on his torso and thigh (all 3 from ricochet). Thank You USA, though your younger citizens may forsake what the older generations fought for, you can count that we Filipinos, the Leyteños at least, will never forget!

Alright I have watched enough of your videos to warrant a subscription. Your videos have the production value equivalent to cable TV documentaries.

What I like about Dark Docs is the narration and it’s gravitas applied to its subject - it does it credit and respect irrespective of the viewers personal standpoint. A job well done.

He sounds like this guy that does like Skyrim and fallout challenges

Ako i pilipino . Thank you Dark docs for sharing my Philippine country history

As a 4 year old (I'd guesstimate) in about 1961 or '62, my father and our family (mom, and my older brother and sister, and I) were invited by the Captain of the WW2 vintage cruiser U.S.S. Chicago to a very nice Sunday brunch down in the Washington naval yards I believe. I remember a bit about it as I was all about what's this or that, but young. However, when you get on a cruiser, that's something you just don't forget. I remember it as an absolutely huge ship, over 600 feet long it turns out. At that time my Mechanical Engineer father had worked his way up since 1942 to the position of Deputy Director, Naval Sea Systems Command, Bureau of Weapons so I figure somehow the Captain and my dad had come to know and respect each other. The brunch was unbelievable, not for the food but because the Captain, and his service crew were all in dress whites. I especially remember the one head service man, who stood about 8 feet (I'd guess) off from the end of the table to the left of the Captain. I mean I can vividly remember the service man, a very handsome black man in a phenomenally white sailors outfit with sharp creases which could just about cut you they were so shsrp , and highly polished black leather shoes. He cut quite the look. He was what you'd see on a U.S. Navy recruiting poster. The captain's dining room (name?) was very large with thin carpeting (no '60s shag rug!) but probably not as large as I remember it, my being so young. After brunch and dessert, I got up and started running around the table to help the food settle in my stomach and duodenum (first part of the small intestine, a harbinger of digestive problems to come). I mean to tell you, the straight laced Captain was both dumbfounded and shocked beyond belief! My poor mother explained to the Cap'n. that it helped my digestion and that I had to do it wherever we ate. I think it got a little chuckle out of him once he understood but my parents were probably so very embarrased. The visit was pretty much that, just brunch. However, i've always wished that my adult self could be back there to watch it all over again. Afterwards, we might have gotten a look at the forward command center. That was pretty much it but what a memory and as a result I've always loved the large cruisers. Battleships may be gone forever but those cruisers were and remain my favorite ships!

How do you still call sailors “naval soldiers” after making military videos for this long?

Crossing the "T" To the best of my limited knowledge, this was a maneuver best demonstrated by Nelson in the Napoleonic wars. It will neve happen again

Do it again. Slow the talking down. You're speaking so fast the words just morph into one incoherent verbal blur.

Excellent doc, Dark Doc. The Battle of Surigaro Strait was a well conceived, yet carried out maneuver. The blow struck by the Allied force's was a convincing prelude too the end of WW 2. Thank you so much for your very thorough research.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨.

Tin Can sailors held strong. I remember hearing so many stories about this battle from my great Uncle(navy) who had a friend on the "Sammy B" as he would say. Wow those 2 were some characters. "We survived a nightmare situation, so you wouldn't have to.." KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. I love all your videos and channels

It's the Battle "Off" Samar. It comes from Morrison's quote, “In no engagement of its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in those two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar.” - Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II My understanding is that Morrison said "off" to distinguish it from any other battle in the US Navy's past. Nimitz actually apologized to Sprague saying the navy couldn't give Taffy 3 the recognition it deserved because the engagement happened owing to Halsey abandoning his post when he fell for the Japanese carrier decoy up north. Nimitz pointed out that if the public found out what had happened he'd have to fire Halsey and even though he knew Halsey deserved to be canned, he was popular with the average sailor and that was unfortunately important. (This is the reason there's a "Nimitz" class of naval ships but no "Halsey" class.)

I feel like I'm watching a real history channel documentary👌

My dad is still alive and fought in this battle. He was on the USS West Virginia battleship. The US Navy used what they called the perfect T. Dad said all of the US battleships could fire all their 16 inch guns while the Japanese could only fire the front guns. He said it was like a turkey shoot.

Imagine catching the ban hammer from a ship you thought you destroyed three years earlier

What the hell is a “naval soldier?” Is that what the rest of the world refers to as a “sailor?”

98 percent of American do not even know where the CBI theater was or who was involved just for an example (China, Burma, India theater of operations) . The USS Canberra CAG-2 was named after the Australian cruiser that served at salvo Island with U.S. forces and was one of the 4 cruisers sunk during that battle. So I salute my Australian Naval brothers and sisters.

Top notch, quality material Gets seemingly better every vid

Japan: “we took out their navy!” Also Japan: “why is there a health bar”

Fuso was hit by a full spread by an American DD... this was recorded at the time but not correctly.. resulting in a veterain reafirming it decades later

The last battle ship battle in history was also the largest navel battle in history, a fitting end to the era of the battleships that I will surely miss

I love these videos, I just wish you could talk a little slower. Please don't take this the wrong way cus I am a fan

Playback to .75 and you're all set. Otherwise, this is a great pocket documentary. Glad to see our Aussie brothers finally getting some love

Everyone: saying he is speed running the script and should slow down Me: Uses the playback speed feature

I read the title as "The Last Battleship" vs. "Battleship Battle Ever" and it took me so long to figure out "Battleship Battle Ever" is not a boat lol

My neighbor told me about this, he was a radioman on the GamblerBay that went down..

your growning fast man i sub when you where @ 50k now your @500k great job man im proud of you also keep up the great work love it

Dude stop talking so fast like a speed up tweaker, slow it down

My ship actually took part in this battle. USS Monterey CG61

I love the way he has his videos I always look forward to them

You make the best quality videos buddy...

excellent history!

Last time I was this early my girlfriend left me

See Videos about past wars NEED to be PLAYED in high school... But more importantly why they started in the first place. Awesome content 👏

My father was in Samar USS Hornet VF-11 Sundowners Lt John W Ramsey USN fighter pilot (April 1941 thru Nov 1963 retired as Commander). In the last days of the battles as the IJN retreated, he led his division on a bombing run of the Yamato, having missed with their bombs he ordered a straffing run on the bridge and they carried it out. Love your stories and video coverage excellent!

This sounds better if you play it back at 0.75 speed

Are you coked up? Or what is the reason for you to talk that fast. Its just not necessary I am German, and therefore a non-native English speaker and this really makes it hard for people like me to understand anything.

2:43 - That is an historic photograph!!! Truly amazing! Roosevelt!!! Pay Attention, dammit!!!! Actually, those high altitude pics showing this guy turning this way and that guy barreling ahead... Yeah, pretty badass photography!!!

To clarify a couple of issues the Japanese strategy was to lure Halsey’s Third Fleet away from San Bernardino straight using japan’s remaining carriers as bait. By this time Japan had lost almost all of its seasoned naval pilots in previous engagements. The reality of Adm Ozawa role was to sacrifice his ships in luring away Halseys 3rd fleet to the north in pursuit of Ozawa leaving the San Bernardino strait totally open toAdm Kurita’s center force. In essence Halsey took the bait and ordered the entire 3rd fleet to head north after Ozawa who played his part well. Earlier that day Halsey did launch air strikes against Kurita’s center force sinking the Japanese super battleship Musashi along with 2 heavy cruisers. Halsey could have left a portion of the 3rd fleet behind to guard the San Bernardino straight. The new battleships under Adm Ching Lee were more than sufficient to prevail over Kurita’s reduced center force. During night Adm Nimitz and CNO King sent inquiries to Halsey trying to confirm that the

Yo my g I loved loved loved the vid and I didn't really have difficulty understanding you, it was just annoying how fast you spoke, chill out abit and you're onto an absolute winner mate 👍

"Naval soldiers", hmm, surely there must be a term for that...

Hay I just saw a great video about Battleship to Battleship fight while watching Commercials!

awesome video 10/10. keep the good work up