Ernest E. Evans and Samuel B. Roberts at the Battle off Samar

Jan 12 , 2026

Ernest E. Evans and Samuel B. Roberts at the Battle off Samar

Ernest E. Evans stood on the bridge of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, eyes fixed on the horizon. The sea boiled with enemy warships—cruisers, battleships, destroyers—lined like a wolf pack ready to strike. Outgunned. Outnumbered. But he would not bow.

The Battle That Defined Him

October 25, 1944. The waters off Samar Island, Philippine Sea, swallowed screams and steel. Evans commanded the Samuel B. Roberts, a destroyer escort—one of the smallest ships in the fleet. They were part of “Taffy 3,” a task unit assigned to protect escort carriers. Then chaos exploded.

The Japanese Center Force, led by Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, barreled toward them: heavy cruisers and battleships nearly 5 times their size. The Samuel B. Roberts, barely a speck beside Yamato, Nagato, or the mighty cruisers, faced annihilation.

Evans made a choice: fight.

He ordered a full steam charge directly at the largest cruiser, slamming into enemy formations with reckless fury. Torpedoes screamed and guns blazed. His ship was a David picking a fight with Goliath, every salvo a punch to the belly of death.

The Roberts absorbed shell hits that should have sent her to the bottom, but her captain stayed unbroken.

“To keep the carriers alive, Captain Evans made his destroyer a shield,” one crew member recalled. “He drove his ship straight into hell.”

Background & Faith

Born 1908, Iowa raised, Ernest Evans was forged in simple, quiet grit. Not the spotlight type. His strength came from steadfast principles. Like many of his generation, faith was the core—calling him to serve, to protect, and to sacrifice without expectation of glory.

A lover of scripture, Evans often reflected on the words of Romans 12:12:

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

This wasn’t just piety—it was armor. The battlefield tested it. He carried these truths into fire and smoke, tempered by a code of honor: protect those under your care, fight with every ounce of your being, and never retreat.

Fight to the Last Breath

The Samuel B. Roberts fought with the heart of a battleship. The destroyer tore through enemy lines, firing torpedoes at cruisers and using her 5-inch guns to keep the Japanese at bay. Evans knew death circled like vultures.

In the span of two hours, Evans’s ship took powerful hits—destroyed guns, shredded superstructure, a near-death fire raging on deck. Yet, he refused to abandon ship.

Evans ordered damage control, rallying men amid burning decks and shrapnel. Even as the ship heaved and fell, Evans stayed on the bridge, directing the fight with brutal clarity. The Roberts gave the enemy the worst surprise in their career.

The sacrifice bought time for the escort carriers to escape.

By battle’s end, Evans was dead—his ship sank, but the spirit endured.

Medal of Honor & Words from Comrades

Congress awarded Captain Evans the Medal of Honor posthumously. His citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... by gallant and aggressive action against a much superior force... Captain Evans accomplished the mission of his unit and inflicted fatal damage on the enemy.”

Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, Taffy 3 commander, called Evans:

“One of the bravest officers I have seen in my career.”

The battle is remembered as one of the most unlikely American victories in naval history. Evans’s sacrifice galvanized men to hold the line against impossible odds.

Legacy & Redemption

Evans’s story is blood and ash, courage tempered by faith and fierce love for his ship and crew. He teaches us that heroism isn’t born in calm, but in moments when chaos demands everything.

The ship went down with her captain, but the legacy sails on. He showed what it means to fight—not for glory, but for the lives behind you.

His life reminds veterans of their undying bond—in sweat, scars, and sacrifice. To civilians, it calls for respect grounded in understanding, not myth.

The Battle off Samar is a testament etched in steel and scripture: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13

Evans gave his life so others might live. That is a legacy no enemy can drown.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, "Ernest E. Evans: Medal of Honor Recipient" 2. Samuel Eliot Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 12: Leyte 3. Theodore Taylor, The Battle of Leyte Gulf 4. U.S. Navy archives, Medal of Honor citation for Ernest E. Evans