![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/220627-sammy-b-shipwreck-mb-832-cc9f69-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts, sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 (corrected from 1943 7\/28\/22), was found in over 22,600 feet of water last week by Caladan Oceanic, the same folks who found the world’s previous record-depth wreck, the USS Johnston, last year.<\/p>\n
\nThe wreck of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, also known as the Sammy B, was found in two pieces on a slope off the Philippines last week at a depth of more than 22,600 feet, according to a statement<\/a> by the American explorer Victor Vescovo and the British company EYOS Expeditions. That’s more than four miles deep.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship, and by doing so, have the chance to retell her story of heroism and duty to those who may not know of the ship and her crew\u2019s sacrifice,\u201d said Vescovo, a former Navy commander and the founder of Caladan Oceanic, a marine-technology development company based in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Both ships contributed to American victory in the October 1944 Battle off Samar, part of the broader Battle of Leyte Gulf, which has been called the largest naval battle in history.<\/p>\n
Despite being outgunned, the Sammy B attacked a fleet of imperial Japanese navy ships led by the Yamato, the largest battleship ever constructed, before sinking under fire in the Philippine Sea, earning it a description as \u201cthe destroyer escort that fought like a battleship.\u201d Among its 224 crew members, 89 were killed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis small ship took on the finest of the Japanese Navy, fighting them to the end,\u201d Vescovo said on Twitter<\/a>, where he shared underwater video of parts of the Sammy B\u2019s stern.<\/p>\n
NBC<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
According to Wiki, a DE was a bit over 100 yards long and 12 yards wide, packing two 5″ guns and a bunch of AA guns. By comparison, the Yamato packed 9 EIGHTEEN INCH guns (largest ever on a battleship – our Iowa-class uses 16″ers)\u00a0 twelve 6″ guns, twelve 5″ guns and many smaller guns – this was a pit bull puppy taking on a full-sized Rottweiler.\u00a0 89 of our incredibly gutsy guys were killed. Amazingly,\u00a0 124 crew members survived. Well worth reading about her final battle: \u00a0Wiki<\/a><\/p>\n
Also worth looking up her namesake – a Navy coxswain who volunteered to distract the Japanese at Guadalcanal so that a bunch of Marines could be disembarked to safety. He drove his Higgins boat directly in front of Japanese emplacements to draw their fire till the Marines were safe; unfortunately, as he was preparing to withdraw, his boat was hit and he was killed. Navy Cross for that; to me it sounds like MoH material but I am only reading about it.Wiki<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"