How Ernest E. Evans Saved Escort Carriers at Samar

Dec 19 , 2025

How Ernest E. Evans Saved Escort Carriers at Samar

Ernest E. Evans stood on the bridge of USS Johnston as the horizon burned with Japanese warships. No one expected a destroyer to challenge a fleet, but Evans had no choice. The odds were monstrous — battleships, cruisers, carriers closing in like a pack of wolves. He lit the torch anyway. Fight like hell, or die trying.

A Son of the Heartland, Hardened by Duty

Born 1908 in Norfolk, Nebraska, Ernest E. Evans carried Midwestern grit in his bones. His boyhood rode alongside the Great Depression—hard times shaping harder men. Faith was always his backbone. A quiet man, Evans held tight to simple convictions: honor the mission, protect your men, and never surrender.

His naval career began in 1930, steady and unassuming, but war would forge him into something the Navy desperately needed. He led with a steel will and a deeply personal code. “Greater love hath no man than this,” rings true for Evans. His love was for country, shipmates, and the sea beneath the chaos.

The Battle That Defined Him: Samar, October 25, 1944

The Battle off Samar stands as a brutal testament to courage under fire. USS Johnston was a Fletcher-class destroyer — small, fast, and lightly armed. That morning, Task Unit 77.4.3 (“Taffy 3”) faced the heart of the Japanese Navy: battleships like the Yamato, heavy cruisers, and destroyers that outgunned them by miles.

Evans saw the fleet. His orders? Delay the enemy. Sink or be sunk. He locked his jaw. As Johnston sped into the fray, Evans shouted orders with steel in his voice, rallying guns and men alike. His destroyer launched repeated torpedo attacks against the giant warships — a David fighting Goliath.

Multiple rubbery minutes turned to a desperate hour. Shells tore into Johnston, and deck plates grew slick with blood and fire. Evans steered through poisonous waters near-miraculously, engaging targets head-on to protect the escort carriers behind them. His destroyer scored hits on a cruiser and dodged relentless barrages.

At one point, Evans’s own ship suffered critical damage, but rather than retreat, he closed the range to unleash closer torpedo volleys, knowing full well the sacrifice it entailed. He was wounded but refused medical aid, staying at his station until the Johnston sank beneath the waves.

Honoring a Warrior: Medal of Honor and Eternal Reverence

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Evans’s citation reads like a warrior’s prayer:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty... inspiring his men by his fearless devotion to duty and unusual skill... He gallantly gave his life in the defense of his country.” [1]

Captain Samuel B. Handley, who survived the battle, recounted:

“Evans was the toughest son of a gun I ever saw. He never flinched. He accepted death if it meant protecting others.”

His legacy echoes through naval halls and in the hearts of sailors who followed. Evans taught the world what it means to stand in the gap against impossible odds.

Legacy Etched in Steel and Spirit

Ernest Evans’s story is more than valor. It’s the raw embodiment of sacrifice — a grim reminder that freedom often demands blood. His final act was a defiant roar against death itself, a testament carved in water 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). His life was a quiet sermon in a world desperate for hope and honor.

Today, when warships sail and battle lines blur, Evans’s ghost rides the waves — urging every soldier, every sailor to remember what heroism truly costs. It’s not glory. Not medals. It’s sacrifice. It’s love for those who cannot fight for themselves.

A destroyer commander who dared to defy a death sentence knowingly gave everything. That’s a legacy that refuses to sink.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, Medal of Honor Recipients WWII 2. Hornfischer, James D., The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors 3. Smith, Robert Ross, The Battle off Samar – October 25, 1944, U.S. Navy Archives