Why a 1,745-ton destroyer escort charged the world's largest battleship during WW2 — and what happened next shocked everyone. This World War 2 story reveals how USS Samuel B. Roberts faced impossible odds at the Battle off Samar.
October 25, 1944. Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland commanded USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), a tiny destroyer escort off Samar Island, Philippines. Four Japanese battleships appeared on the horizon — led by Yamato, the 72,000-ton super-battleship. Every Navy regulation said destroyer escorts should avoid surface combat with capital ships. Command expected them to screen carriers against submarines, not charge battleships. Admiral Sprague called it a suicide mission.
They were all wrong.
What Copeland and his chief engineer discovered that morning wasn't about following regulations. It was about survival through aggression in a way that contradicted everything the Navy taught. Chief Engineer Lt. Trowbridge bypassed every engine safety system, pushing the tiny ship to 28 knots. Gunner's Mate Paul Carr commanded the aft gun mount, firing continuously at point-blank range against cruisers designed to withstand such punishment. What these sailors did in the next two hours became known as one of the greatest stands in naval history.
Watch to discover how a destroyer escort earned the nickname "the ship that fought like a battleship" and why this battle changed naval doctrine forever. The story of courage, sacrifice, and tactical innovation that naval historians still study today.
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