Wreck of USS Johnston (DD-557)
Philippines /
Eastern Visayas /
Hernani /
World
/ Philippines
/ Eastern Visayas
/ Hernani
World / Philippines / Eastern Samar / Guiuan
Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, destroyer (ship), United States Navy
Laid down as the 74th member of the Fletcher Class of Destroyers in May 1942 at the Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding Yard, USS Johnston commissioned into US Navy service in October 1943 as a member of the US Pacific Fleet. Following her shakedown and training cruise, the Destroyer and her crew called at Pearl Harbor where they received the first of many combat operation orders and put to sea in late January 1944 bound for the Marshall Islands.
Arriving off Kwajalein on the 1st of February with American Amphibious Forces, the Johnston started her combat career with a lengthy shore bombardment of entrenched Japanese positions on the atoll, actions which she repeated at Eniwetok later in the month before shaping a course to the Solomon Islands. Operating in and around Bougainville Island through late June 1944, the Johnston conducted shore bombardments, screened convoys and hunted Japanese resupply ships operating in the still-hotly contested waters. Notching her first combat victory over a vessel of the Imperial Japanese Navy on May 15th, 1944, the Johnston successfully attacked and sank the Submarine HIJMS I-176 before departing the Solomons for duty in the Marianas.
Assigned to screen the Battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) as she carried out preinvasion bombardment of Guam, Johnston's guns also aided with effort to destroy Japanese shore emplacements before she was detached to Peleliu to screen Carrier forces. With the major objectives in the Marianas in American hands by late September, Johnston and her crew were detached to the Admiralty Islands where she was ordered to join a group of Escort Aircraft Carriers under the command of Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, designated as Task Unit 77.4.3 and given the callsign “Taffy3”. Provisioning at Manaus with her new Task Unit through the 12th of October, Johnston departed as an escort to the massive Naval Armada bound for Leyte Gulf in the Philippines.
Arriving off the shores of Leyte on the 20th of October, Johnston's gun crews returned to their familiar duty of providing shore bombardment and on-call fire support as American forces moved ashore and once a sizeable beachead had been established Johnston moved to the Northeast where she rejoined "Taffy 3" for several days of Carrier screening duty as Japanese resistance steadily mounted. Taking no part in the Battles of Palawan Passage and the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, crews aboard the Johnston were preparing for one of their final days on station on the morning of October 25th before a scheduled withdrawal for refueling and reprovisioning. Shortly after the first aircraft of the day were sent aloft, Johnston’s radio operator received word from the Task Unit’s Flagship that a recon aircraft had spotted a Japanese Naval Force rounding the Northern coast of Samar Island and was closing on their position. Taken completely by surprise, crew aboard the Johnston joined many of their compatriots aboard the other ships of “Taffy 3” in sighting a seemingly insurmountable force of 4 Battleships, 6 Heavy Cruisers, 2 Light Cruisers, and 11 Destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy bearing down on their position.
Joining her fellow Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts in making smoke to conceal their Carriers as the entire of “Taffy 3” moved to the South to open the distance between themselves and the Japanese Fleet, Johnston’s crew were powerless to fight back against their out-of-range attackers as the first Japanese Battleship shells began raining down with increasing accuracy. Continuing to move with the Carriers until they reached the relative safety of a rain squall line, Johnston’s Captain, CDR Ernest Evans, did not wait for further orders and promptly swung his Destroyer around and rang down for flank speed as he charged the Japanese ships. Using his ship’s high speed and maneuverability to his advantage, Evans got the Johnston through a hail of enemy fire to get within his main guns’ range of a nearby Japanese Heavy Cruiser, allowing Johnston’s gunners to fire the first of some 200 5in shells towards the superstructure of the HIJMS Kumano, striking it with no fewer than 45 rounds before the she got within torpedo range. Loosing all ten of her Mark 15 torpedoes towards the still-onrushing Kumano at 0720hrs from their maximum 9,000-yard range, the Johnston had already changed course to attack other targets when at least two of the shots hit the Cruiser in her bow, completely severing it from the ship and ending her part in the battle. Any celebrations aboard ship were short lived however, as a full salvo of 14in shells from the Battleship HIJMS Kongō, crashed into the seas around Johnston, with at least three hitting the ship and the rest causing shockwave damage below the waterline. Seconds later a three-shell salvo of 6in rounds slammed into the Johnston’s bridge and forward superstructure, causing further loss of life and casualties in addition to knocking out onboard communications, one engine, steering control and the ships rear gun mounts. Making smoke once again and racing for the cover of a nearby rain shower, Johnston’s damage control teams set about repairing their ship as CDR Evans shifted to the ships After Conn station, only to find that much of the navigation equipment there had been shot away.
Rejoining the fight at 0750hrs as Sprague ordered another attack by his remaining Destroyers, Johnston found herself unable to keep up with her sisterships due to her damaged engine but nonetheless spent the next half hour providing highly accurate fire support. Shifting her fire to a Japanese Battleship emerging from a smokescreen only 7,000-yards away, every gun aboard ship poured withering fire into the enemy ship as the Destroyer moved back into the safety of the smoke and emerged on the other side to pepper another Japanese Cruiser with 5in fire as it closed in to attack the mortally wounded USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73). Racing to the aid of the Jeep Carrier on her only remaining engine, the Johnston found herself under increasingly accurate fire from multiple sources as she continued to fire on a ship several times her own size, however the strain on her remaining engine proved to be too much and at 0930hrs several bearings failed and the ship went dead in the water. Immediately assailed by withering Japanese fire, Johnston’s gun crews continued to train and fire their weapons by hand on their attackers, however the valiant defensive stand was short-lived as the Destroyer’s hull was shredded by armor-piercing rounds and rapidly began to flood. CDR Evans issued the abandon ship order to his surviving crew at 1010hrs and took to the water as the Johnston rolled onto her side and began to sink by the Stern, aided by a single Japanese Destroyer which had closed to within 1,000-yards and sent a final few rounds into the ship’s battered hull. As she slid beneath the surface, many of her survivors in the water clearly observed the Captain of the Japanese ship paying solemn respect to his tenacious opponent by snapping a salute as the Johnston sank in this general area on the morning of October 25th, 1944.
For the hundreds of surviving crew of the Johnston now floating in debris-strewn waters, awaiting rescue would be a 50+ hour ordeal that would see the majority of the badly injured men in the water succumbing to their wounds, including CDR Evans who was not seen after abandoning his ship. Later musters would reveal that only 141 of Johnston’s 327 crew had survived her final battle, for which crew and ship earned the Presidential Unit Citation and their sixth and final Battle Star. CDR Evans was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his command of the Johnston in the Battle Off Samar.
From the WIkipedia
On 30 October 2019, it was announced that the research vessel Petrel of Vulcan Inc discovered what is believed to be the deepest shipwreck ever located at 20,406 feet (6,220 m) deep in the Philippine Trench; the wreck was in pieces with no significant hull sections located
On 31 March 2021, it was announced that the research vessel DSV Limiting Factor of Caladan Oceanic surveyed and photographed the deeper main wreck. The visible hull number, 557, confirmed the identity of the ship as Johnston. She sits upright and astonishingly well-preserved at a depth of 21,180 ft (6,460 m), making it the deepest shipwreck ever surveyed.
Video and photos of the wreck of the USS Johnston
news.usni.org/2021/04/01/video-famed-wwii-destroyer-uss...
www.navsource.org/archives/05/557.htm
Arriving off Kwajalein on the 1st of February with American Amphibious Forces, the Johnston started her combat career with a lengthy shore bombardment of entrenched Japanese positions on the atoll, actions which she repeated at Eniwetok later in the month before shaping a course to the Solomon Islands. Operating in and around Bougainville Island through late June 1944, the Johnston conducted shore bombardments, screened convoys and hunted Japanese resupply ships operating in the still-hotly contested waters. Notching her first combat victory over a vessel of the Imperial Japanese Navy on May 15th, 1944, the Johnston successfully attacked and sank the Submarine HIJMS I-176 before departing the Solomons for duty in the Marianas.
Assigned to screen the Battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) as she carried out preinvasion bombardment of Guam, Johnston's guns also aided with effort to destroy Japanese shore emplacements before she was detached to Peleliu to screen Carrier forces. With the major objectives in the Marianas in American hands by late September, Johnston and her crew were detached to the Admiralty Islands where she was ordered to join a group of Escort Aircraft Carriers under the command of Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, designated as Task Unit 77.4.3 and given the callsign “Taffy3”. Provisioning at Manaus with her new Task Unit through the 12th of October, Johnston departed as an escort to the massive Naval Armada bound for Leyte Gulf in the Philippines.
Arriving off the shores of Leyte on the 20th of October, Johnston's gun crews returned to their familiar duty of providing shore bombardment and on-call fire support as American forces moved ashore and once a sizeable beachead had been established Johnston moved to the Northeast where she rejoined "Taffy 3" for several days of Carrier screening duty as Japanese resistance steadily mounted. Taking no part in the Battles of Palawan Passage and the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, crews aboard the Johnston were preparing for one of their final days on station on the morning of October 25th before a scheduled withdrawal for refueling and reprovisioning. Shortly after the first aircraft of the day were sent aloft, Johnston’s radio operator received word from the Task Unit’s Flagship that a recon aircraft had spotted a Japanese Naval Force rounding the Northern coast of Samar Island and was closing on their position. Taken completely by surprise, crew aboard the Johnston joined many of their compatriots aboard the other ships of “Taffy 3” in sighting a seemingly insurmountable force of 4 Battleships, 6 Heavy Cruisers, 2 Light Cruisers, and 11 Destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy bearing down on their position.
Joining her fellow Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts in making smoke to conceal their Carriers as the entire of “Taffy 3” moved to the South to open the distance between themselves and the Japanese Fleet, Johnston’s crew were powerless to fight back against their out-of-range attackers as the first Japanese Battleship shells began raining down with increasing accuracy. Continuing to move with the Carriers until they reached the relative safety of a rain squall line, Johnston’s Captain, CDR Ernest Evans, did not wait for further orders and promptly swung his Destroyer around and rang down for flank speed as he charged the Japanese ships. Using his ship’s high speed and maneuverability to his advantage, Evans got the Johnston through a hail of enemy fire to get within his main guns’ range of a nearby Japanese Heavy Cruiser, allowing Johnston’s gunners to fire the first of some 200 5in shells towards the superstructure of the HIJMS Kumano, striking it with no fewer than 45 rounds before the she got within torpedo range. Loosing all ten of her Mark 15 torpedoes towards the still-onrushing Kumano at 0720hrs from their maximum 9,000-yard range, the Johnston had already changed course to attack other targets when at least two of the shots hit the Cruiser in her bow, completely severing it from the ship and ending her part in the battle. Any celebrations aboard ship were short lived however, as a full salvo of 14in shells from the Battleship HIJMS Kongō, crashed into the seas around Johnston, with at least three hitting the ship and the rest causing shockwave damage below the waterline. Seconds later a three-shell salvo of 6in rounds slammed into the Johnston’s bridge and forward superstructure, causing further loss of life and casualties in addition to knocking out onboard communications, one engine, steering control and the ships rear gun mounts. Making smoke once again and racing for the cover of a nearby rain shower, Johnston’s damage control teams set about repairing their ship as CDR Evans shifted to the ships After Conn station, only to find that much of the navigation equipment there had been shot away.
Rejoining the fight at 0750hrs as Sprague ordered another attack by his remaining Destroyers, Johnston found herself unable to keep up with her sisterships due to her damaged engine but nonetheless spent the next half hour providing highly accurate fire support. Shifting her fire to a Japanese Battleship emerging from a smokescreen only 7,000-yards away, every gun aboard ship poured withering fire into the enemy ship as the Destroyer moved back into the safety of the smoke and emerged on the other side to pepper another Japanese Cruiser with 5in fire as it closed in to attack the mortally wounded USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73). Racing to the aid of the Jeep Carrier on her only remaining engine, the Johnston found herself under increasingly accurate fire from multiple sources as she continued to fire on a ship several times her own size, however the strain on her remaining engine proved to be too much and at 0930hrs several bearings failed and the ship went dead in the water. Immediately assailed by withering Japanese fire, Johnston’s gun crews continued to train and fire their weapons by hand on their attackers, however the valiant defensive stand was short-lived as the Destroyer’s hull was shredded by armor-piercing rounds and rapidly began to flood. CDR Evans issued the abandon ship order to his surviving crew at 1010hrs and took to the water as the Johnston rolled onto her side and began to sink by the Stern, aided by a single Japanese Destroyer which had closed to within 1,000-yards and sent a final few rounds into the ship’s battered hull. As she slid beneath the surface, many of her survivors in the water clearly observed the Captain of the Japanese ship paying solemn respect to his tenacious opponent by snapping a salute as the Johnston sank in this general area on the morning of October 25th, 1944.
For the hundreds of surviving crew of the Johnston now floating in debris-strewn waters, awaiting rescue would be a 50+ hour ordeal that would see the majority of the badly injured men in the water succumbing to their wounds, including CDR Evans who was not seen after abandoning his ship. Later musters would reveal that only 141 of Johnston’s 327 crew had survived her final battle, for which crew and ship earned the Presidential Unit Citation and their sixth and final Battle Star. CDR Evans was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his command of the Johnston in the Battle Off Samar.
From the WIkipedia
On 30 October 2019, it was announced that the research vessel Petrel of Vulcan Inc discovered what is believed to be the deepest shipwreck ever located at 20,406 feet (6,220 m) deep in the Philippine Trench; the wreck was in pieces with no significant hull sections located
On 31 March 2021, it was announced that the research vessel DSV Limiting Factor of Caladan Oceanic surveyed and photographed the deeper main wreck. The visible hull number, 557, confirmed the identity of the ship as Johnston. She sits upright and astonishingly well-preserved at a depth of 21,180 ft (6,460 m), making it the deepest shipwreck ever surveyed.
Video and photos of the wreck of the USS Johnston
news.usni.org/2021/04/01/video-famed-wwii-destroyer-uss...
www.navsource.org/archives/05/557.htm
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Johnston_(DD-557)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 11°48'34"N 126°27'38"E
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