Ernest E. Evans' Stand at the Battle off Samar, USS Samuel B. Roberts

Dec 18 , 2025

Ernest E. Evans' Stand at the Battle off Samar, USS Samuel B. Roberts

Ernest E. Evans stood on the bridge of USS Samuel B. Roberts as the storm of Japanese warships closed in. The odds were insurmountable: carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers—a behemoth fleet bent on extinguishing the thin line of American defense guarding Leyte Gulf. For Evans, retreat was not in his vocabulary.

He faced annihilation with fire and fury.

Background & Faith

Raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Ernest Evans enlisted in the Navy as the world plunged into war. A man grounded in simple Midwestern values, he held a quiet but fierce code—duty above self, honor amid chaos. He wasn’t a man of many words but a man of action.

His faith was practical and unshowy, but unmistakable—a steady compass. He carried scripture with him, reflecting quietly on Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Those words were no platitude; they were a shield forged in the crucible of combat.

He was the kind of leader who earned respect not by orders, but by example.

The Battle That Defined Him

October 25, 1944. The Battle off Samar.

Evans commanded the Samuel B. Roberts, a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort, a ship meant to guard convoys, not face off against a Japanese battleship force led by Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita. The Roberts was outgunned, out-armored, outmatched. Yet Evans refused to yield.

Without hesitation, he steamed headlong into the face of overwhelming firepower. His orders: delay, distract, survive. He transformed the Roberts into a living bomb, dodging 16-inch shells from battleships, returning fire with his ship's limited 5-inch guns.

He fought close: less than a mile from enemy giants. His ship launched torpedoes that crippled the Japanese heavy cruiser Chōkai. Crew reports recall Evans shouting a single command: “Destroy them before they destroy us!”

Evans pressed attack despite the Roberts’ loss of power and mounting damage. Machine guns blazing, smoke and fire streaking the horizon—a dance with death that stretched over hours. The enemy’s heavy guns could not match the intensity or relentlessness of his bold raid.

Only when the ship reached critical failure did Evans order abandon ship. His final act on Roberts was heroism woven in every second of defiance. He went down with his ship, a captain molded from steel and sacrifice.

Recognition

For his valor, Ernest E. Evans was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His official citation paints a stark, unvarnished picture:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while commanding USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) during the Battle off Samar… leading his ship and crew with courage against a superior force of the Japanese fleet, inflicting heavy damage upon the enemy…”[¹]

Survivors remembered him as a man who embodied fearless leadership and selfless devotion. Lieutenant Commander Robert Deeble, one of his officers, said,

“Evans inspired us all. He knew the odds. He knew the price. He embraced both and never flinched.”

His stand helped turn the tide of the battle and preserved the Leyte Gulf landing—one of the Philippines campaign’s pivotal moments.

Legacy & Lessons

Ernest Evans showed what happens when character meets chaos. He was not just fighting a battle of guns and steel, but a war of spirit and will. His story cuts through the fog of war like a flame in the darkness.

He reminds veterans and civilians alike: courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. Sacrifice is not a moment but a lifetime forged through choice.

His legacy whispers the ancient truth of redemption — a warrior’s final gift is not just survival, but the chance for others to live free.

In the words of Romans 8:37,

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Ernest E. Evans gave everything so that the flame of liberty might burn brighter. His scarred ship, his fallen crew, his fearless heart—etched forever into the annals of American valor.

The sea holds his story; it carries the echoes of a warrior who said, “They may take our lives, but they will not take our fight.”

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, Medal of Honor Citation: Ernest E. Evans 2. Samuel Eliot Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. XII: Leyte 3. James A. Field Jr., The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action