USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413)

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USS Samuel B. Roberts 1944
USS Samuel B. Roberts 1944
Overview
Keel laying December 6, 1943
Launch January 20, 1944
1. Period of service flag
Commissioning April 28, 1944
Whereabouts Sunk on October 25, 1944 in the sea battle off Samar
Technical specifications
displacement

1350  ts

length

93 m

width

11 m

Draft

3 m

crew

215

drive
  • 2 boilers
  • 2 gear turbines on 2 propellers
  • 12,000 WPS
speed

24 kn

Range

6000 nm at 12 kn

Armament

The USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) was a destroyer escort of the John C. Butler class of the United States Navy . The ship, which was in service with the US Navy for just under six months, was best known for its use during the sea ​​battle off Samar , during which the destroyer escort sank on October 25, 1944.

history

The Samuel B. Roberts was laid down on December 6, 1943 at Brown Shipbuilding in Houston , Texas . After the christening by the widow of the namesake Samuel B. Roberts , the ship was launched on January 20, 1944. The commissioning with the US Navy took place on April 28, 1944 under the command of Lt. Comdr. RW Copeland.

After first test drives off Bermuda between May 21 and June 19 and a shipyard stay in the Boston Navy Yard , the Samuel B. Roberts left Norfolk on July 22, crossed the Panama Canal five days later and became part of the Pacific Fleet.

On August 10, the destroyer arrived in Pearl Harbor , on August 21, the Samuel B. Roberts ran with a convoy to Eniwetok , where it arrived on August 30. After she was assigned to Task Unit 77.4.3 (callsign Taffy 3 ) at Manus , she ran into the Gulf of Leyte, where she operated as part of the Northern Air Support Group off Samar .

On the morning of October 25, 1944, the Samuel B. Roberts, together with other light units, secured an association of escort aircraft carriers in the sea area off Samar when a Japanese task force appeared on the horizon and opened fire. The Samuel B. Roberts took part in a daring torpedo attack on the Japanese cruiser , it was able to land a torpedo hit on the Chōkai . In addition, the destroyer escort shot at the far superior warship with its guns and caused severe damage to the deck. The cruiser Chikuma also attacked the Samuel B. Roberts with her guns and was able to score several hits in the area of ​​the bridge. Shortly afterwards, the destroyer was hit by an eight-inch volley from a cruiser and a 14-inch volley from the battleship Kongō at the level of the engine room, which tore a ten by three meter hole in the hull. The commander then gave the order to evacuate the ship, 30 minutes later the Samuel B. Roberts sank with 89 crew members. 120 survivors were rescued after two days.

The USS Samuel B. Roberts received a Battle Star for its service and was expressly stated in the Presidential Unit Citation for Task Unit 77.4.3 “ for extraordinary heroism in action. ”(German:“ for extraordinary heroism in action ”) mentioned. She was removed from the Naval Vessel Register on November 27, 1944 .

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