Ernest E. Evans' Charge That Saved Taffy 3 at Leyte Gulf

Jun 14 , 2026

Ernest E. Evans' Charge That Saved Taffy 3 at Leyte Gulf

Thunder roaring, shells screaming — the destroyer had no business here. Yet Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans drove USS Samuel B. Roberts straight into the jaws of death, guns blazing, engines roaring, willing his ship to do the impossible.

Background & Faith

Ernest E. Evans came from the hard lands of Wyoming, a man weathered by cold plains and steady stock. Born in 1908, his grit was built on simple principles—duty, honor, and faith. A graduate of the Naval Academy, he carried an old sailor’s code in his bones: protect your crew, fight with all you have, never back down.

Family letters hint at a quiet faith—Psalm 23 etched in the background of a warrior’s heart. In conflict, Evans found something beyond strategy and steel: a solemn vow to guard life through sacrifice.

The Battle That Defined Him

October 25, 1944. Leyte Gulf, the Philippines. The Japanese Imperial Navy unleashed a juggernaut aimed at crushing the Allied invasion. Amidst this nightmare, a small escort carrier group—Taffy 3—stood as the thin line between the landing forces and annihilation.

Evans commanded the Samuel B. Roberts, a destroyer escort — a ship meant to protect, not annihilate battleships.

He had no battleship.

When the head of the Japanese Center Force appeared, with battleships like Yamato and Nagato, Evans made a choice etched by pure guts: charge.

He rammed the enemy. He fired his guns at battleships, cruisers, and destroyers alike. His ship absorbed shell after shell. Men lined up at every turret, knowingly dancing with death.

“I’m going to give ‘em all they want,” he told his crew in the hellfire of that ocean.

With waves of torpedoes and gunfire, Samuel B. Roberts became a blunt instrument of war. Evans’ aggressive maneuvers disoriented the enemy, buying time for weaker ships to escape and the landing forces to hold.

He fought until his ship was mortally wounded—and until he himself was mortally wounded.

The Roberts sank, but her legacy was sealed by steel and blood.

Recognition Forged in Fire

Evans posthumously earned the Medal of Honor, bestowed for courage that “stood in the face of overwhelming odds” and embodied “indomitable spirit and heroic sacrifice.” His Medal citation renders unvarnished truth:

“Despite repeated damage, he pressed home his attack, under terrific fire... by his courageous tactics, he caused the retiring enemy to lose valuable time.”

Survivors called him a “fighting skipper” who “refused to quit.” Captain Thomas J. Ryan Jr., who served alongside him, stated, “He saved Taffy 3.”

The Navy named the destroyer USS Ernest E. Evans (DD-754) in his honor—an eternal flame on water.

Legacy & Lessons in Blood

Ernest Evans’ story is carved out of sacrifice and raw, unyielding courage. His battle was a testament to a hard truth: bravery isn’t the absence of fear—it’s fighting when overwhelmed, outgunned, outmanned.

He showed that leadership means taking the fight to the devil’s doorstep and standing your ground when the world expects you to run.

Psalm 91 rings loud here:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

Even in hell’s furnace, Evans leaned on something greater than himself. His faith and fierce loyalty forged a mission beyond the tactical battle—a reminder that freedom is secured by those willing to carry the bitter cost.

To veterans carved by war’s cold scars and those untouched by this visceral reckoning: his legacy speaks plain. When the storm comes, stand ready. Fight fiercely. Protect those behind you, even if it means your last breath. Redemption isn’t found in the absence of battle; it’s wrought in the enduring heart of sacrifice.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) 2. United States Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Citation of Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans 3. Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 12, Leyte, June 1944 – January 1945 4. Toll, Ian W. The Pacific War: 1941–1945