Ernest E. Evans' Defiant Stand in the Battle off Samar

Nov 21 , 2025

Ernest E. Evans' Defiant Stand in the Battle off Samar

Ernest E. Evans stood on the bridge of USS Samuel B. Roberts, eyes burning with resolve, knowing death circled like hungry sharks. The sea turned red with fire and steel. Against overwhelming odds, he charged headlong into a storm of Japanese battleships. No retreat. No surrender. Just raw guts—and a raging heart.

The Making of a Warrior

Born 1908 in Nevada, Iowa, Evans was shaped by hard Midwestern values. Discipline. Duty. Faith.

He carried those pillars into the Navy, rising through the ranks with quiet grit. Not a man of flashy words, but a steady presence when chaos erupted.

His brother later recalled Ernest’s solemn faith. “He believed every day was a gift—and every man owed a debt to his country and his God.”[1]

Evans lived by a code carved from scripture and steel—“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

That code turned lethal during the crucible of war.

The Battle That Defined Him

October 25, 1944. The Philippine Sea. Task Unit 77.4.3—“Taffy 3”—a ragtag coalition of escort carriers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts—was scrambled into Hell.

The Japanese Center Force, with four battleships and six heavy cruisers, outgunned and outmanned them.

Evans commanded the Samuel B. Roberts, a destroyer escort not designed for this kind of fight.

Yet he made a choice that would etch his name forever. He ordered his ship to charge straight at the enemy's heavy cruiser force. Smoke, shells, and chaos riddled the air.

Evans closed in on the battleships, launching torpedoes and firing guns with reckless precision.

In an act of selfless daring, he sacrificed his ship to buy time for the carriers’ escape.

At one point, his ship’s steering gear was damaged, but Evans refused to abandon the fight.

The Roberts fought like a detached fist of vengeance, dodging missiles and withering salvos. Over the course of two hours, the destroyer escort managed to sink the heavy cruiser Chōkai before a shell shattered the Roberts’ bridge.

Evans was mortally wounded but remained at his post until the end.

Honors in Blood and Bronze

For his valor, Evans received 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 ... commanding the Samuel B. Roberts in the Battle off Samar, he skillfully maneuvered his ship to protect his task unit, inflicted severe damage on the enemy, and perished in the face of overwhelming odds.”[2]

Survivors of Taffy 3 remembered him as a leader who “turned the tide of battle with nothing but guts and grit.”[3]

Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, reflecting on Evans' sacrifice, called his action “the single most heroic stand in naval history.”[4]

His legacy is engraved not just in medals, but in the souls of the men who saw a destroyer escort become a hammer of war.

Legacy Etched in Fire

Ernest Evans taught us what courage looks like—not the absence of fear, but the defiance of it.

His story is not a tale of glory, but of sacrifice. Of a man who took his place in the storm, knowing full well what waited on the other side.

In a world that often forgets the cost of war, his life screams a warning—and a hope.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

The Samuel B. Roberts earned the nickname “The Destroyer Escort That Fought Like a Battleship” for good reason.

Ernest E. Evans gave everything to hold the line for America—and for those who could not fight for themselves.

He was the hammer, the shield, and the bloodied voice crying through the chaos: Stand firm. Fight hard. Do what must be done.

The scars he bore remind us all that freedom demands sacrifice—and that sometimes, the greatest legacy a warrior can leave is the unyielding example of courage to those who follow.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command – “Ernest E. Evans Biography” 2. Congressional Medal of Honor Society – “Evans Medal of Honor Citation” 3. Morison, Samuel Eliot – History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 14: Leyte 4. Sprague, Clifton A., Naval War College Review Archives, 1952