Ernest E. Evans and USS Samuel B. Roberts at Battle Off Samar

Feb 06 , 2026

Ernest E. Evans and USS Samuel B. Roberts at Battle Off Samar

The air was thick with fire and smoke. The USS Samuel B. Roberts shuddered under relentless Japanese shells. Captain Ernest E. Evans gripped the bridge, eyes burning—steel against a tidal wave of warships. He didn’t flinch. He gave the impossible an order no man could refuse: Fight like hell, and don’t die trying.

The Forming of a Warrior

Ernest Edwin Evans was born in 1908, Texas soil beneath his boots—the kind that teaches grit. A naval officer molded by years of steady service, Evans carried more than rank. He carried a code. Duty above self. The mission before comfort.

Faith threaded through Evans’ spirit like a lifeline. Though not loudly spoken, it anchored his resolve. The quiet prayers of a man who trusted something greater in the chaos of battle. His story is one of grit tempered by humility—a soldier made strong enough to lead without letting pride blind him.

The Battle off Samar: David Against Goliath

October 25, 1944. The Philippine Sea burned. The Samuel B. Roberts—a Fletcher-class destroyer, smaller and lightly armed—was escorting the escort carriers of "Taffy 3." Against them loomed Admiral Kurita’s mighty Center Force—battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, bristling with guns that could tear ships apart at miles.

Captain Evans saw the threat instantly: hold the line or die.

With a voice that carried through chaos, he ordered full speed toward the Japanese fleet—guns blazing. He rammed the ship headfirst into hell. The Roberts took on extraordinary punishment—shells tore through decks, men went down, but Evans steered toward the Jap flagships like a lightning bolt striking iron.

“We will attack the superior enemy where it is weakest, and we will fight every inch,” Evans reportedly said to his men.[^1]

In the fire-splashed melee, Evans' destroyer launched torpedoes that struck heavy cruisers. His ship disrupted the Japanese advance and saved the carriers from near-certain destruction. Forward and fearless, Evans became the spearhead of defiance—he inspired gun crews and sailors alike in a fight not meant to be won.

The Samuel B. Roberts finally went down, but Captain Evans never wavered. Hit by shrapnel, fatally wounded, he refused to abandon ship until he ensured his crew ordered evacuation. His last orders echoed resolve.

Citations from a Hellstorm

For his valor, Evans posthumously received the Medal of Honor—America’s highest recognition of battlefield heroism.[^2] His citation captures the brutal clarity of his sacrifice:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... He courageously led his men into the face of a hostile fleet many times superior in number and firepower.”

Survivors from that day remember Evans as a leader who transformed fear into fury. Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland, who fought alongside Evans, noted:

“Captain Evans was the heart of that fight. He never flinched, never wavered. His courage lit the way.”[^3]

The Battle off Samar stands as one of the most extraordinary naval engagements in history—where a handful of destroyers and escort carriers turned back an entire Japanese fleet. Evans’ sacrifice wasn’t just about ship and steel. It was about the human spirit refusing to break when the odds screamed impossible.

Enduring Lessons from a Warrior's End

Ernest Evans’ story burns with hard lessons: courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to move beyond it. Leadership means standing in the storm’s eye, absorbing shock for those who follow. His scars are etched into naval history, but more importantly, they are etched into the souls of those who fight for what must not be lost.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

His life was the embodiment of that scripture—a fierce shield for others, even at the ultimate cost.

Evans teaches us the weight of sacrifice must be borne with purpose, faith, and relentless perseverance. He faced the abyss, didn’t blink, and gave us a legacy that demands we remember the cost of freedom—not just on plaques or medals, but in the silent honor of every warrior who walks back from war.

To live worthy of such sacrifice is our ongoing battle.

[^1]: Naval History and Heritage Command, Action Report USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) [^2]: U.S. Navy Medal of Honor Citation Archive [^3]: Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 12: Leyte, June 1944–January 1945, Little, Brown and Company, 1958