Destroyer Escorts: John C Butler Class

[Brian James]

John C Butler Class Destroyer Escort USS Samuel B Roberts pictured off Boston in June 1944.Samuel B Roberts participated in the Battle of Samar, an unlikely victory in which a relatively small force of U.S. warships prevented a vastly superior Japanese force from attacking the amphibious invasion fleet off the large Philippine island of Leyte. This Destroyer Escort, along with the handful of Destroyers, Destroyer Escorts, and Escort Carriers of the unit called 'Taffy 3', was inadvertently left alone to fend off a fleet of heavily armed Japanese Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers in this crucial action off the Island of Samar, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf of October 1944. Steaming aggressively through a gauntlet of incoming shells, Roberts scored one torpedo hit and numerous gunfire hits as she slugged it out with larger enemy warships before finally being sunk. After the battle,Roberts received the appellation 'the Destroyer Escort that fought like a Battleship'.

[Brian James]

Lead Ship,Destroyer Escort USS John C Butler pictured from Escort Carrier USS Suwannee,April 19th 1945.

[designeraccd]

Here is the SAMUEL B. ROBERTS who valiantly fought the IJN off Samar! DFO

[Brian James]

John C. Butler Class Destroyer Escort USS Corbesier pictured off New York Naval Shipyard on May 27th 1944.....On January 23rd 1945 with USS Conklin and USS Raby she sank the Japanese Type C Cruiser Submarine I-48 off Yap.