Battle off Samar - Wikipedia

Battleships didn't do so great in the Battle off Samar either, not even against escort carriers and destroyers (and a lot of air support).
#taffy3
Battle off Samar - Wikipedia share.google/osLRAvS8A6Az...

A small sampling of reference material for my Leyte Gulf writing project.

#WWII #usnavy #pacificwar #leytegulf #taffy3 #greatmarianasturkeyshoot #imperialjapan #books #booksky

USS San Diego (CL-53) was an Atlanta-class light cruiser of the U.S. Navy that served in the Pacific Theater from January 1942 until it was decommissioned a year after the end of the Second World War. The ship earned 18 battle stars, and is second only to USS Enterprise (CV-6) on the list of most decorated ships of the war. She was the first major combatant into Tokyo Bay. The monument as shown here includes the crew list, and a chart of the ship's movements over a map of the Pacific. A beautiful monument!

This is one of two monuments to 'Taffy 3' in San Diego; the other is at Rosecrans National Cemetery. The units of this small, largely unarmed and vulnerable force of escort carriers, destroyers and destroyer escorts were faced with a far superior force on October 25, 1944, after the Imperial Japanese Navy's Center Force appeared suddenly in front of them, having transited the San Bernardino Strait in the middle of the night, undetected. Admiral Kurita of Center Force had the Super Battleship Yamato, the battleships Haruna, Kongo, and Nagato, 8 cruisers, and 11 destroyers. Just the Yamato alone nearly outweighed all the ships of Taffy 3. Admiral Clifton 'Ziggy' Sprague, whose monument is pictured here, led his force to survive the engagement, while his aggressive escort captains turned and fought the Japanese head-on. The story of the 'Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors' as Hornfischer put it, is one of the great stories in Naval history. It's no surprise there's two monuments just in one city; in my opinion there should be dozens more across the country.

This simple yet powerful monument lies just behind the USS Midway; it is dedicated to the U.S. Navy personnel who lost their lives on December 7th, 1941 during the Pearl Harbor raid.

The aircraft carrier memorial lists all of the named carriers up to the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). Since then, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) have been launched, while the USS John F Kennedy (CVN-79) is nearing commissioning and USS Enterprise (CVN-80) is currently under construction. The sharper-eyed observers may notice that several hull numbers are missing from the monument...this is due to the pause in carrier construction in the late 1940's; CV-35, CV-44, and CV-46 were cancelled along with CV-50 through CV-58. None of these ships were completed. Only after a public outcry and an 'Admiral's Revolt' was naval aviation given its carriers back. Ultimately, the outbreak of the Korean War helped decide the matter, as the use of strategic nuclear weapons and long-range aircraft operated by the USS Air Force were shown to be inadequate responses to the conflict. This is a simple yet powerful reminder of the power of Naval Aviation - mobile, ready, and powerful. Sorry Air Force : )

If you can't make it onboard the #USSMidway in #SanDiego, no worries! The surrounding park is free, and easy to navigate. There's a monument to the USS San Diego as well as the units of #Taffy3. #PacificHistoryGuide has all this and more on the website, check it out! Details in the ALT.

Mistaking a small force of escort carriers, destroyers and their escorts as a superior force, Kurita haphazardly called for a general attack, which allowed the American unit under fire some breathing room. The action of #Taffy3 is recounted elsewhere; the bottom line is, they largely survived. 4/7