Battle off Samar

The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on October 25, 1944. It was the only major action in the larger battle in which the Americans were largely unprepared. After the previous day's fighting, the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Mobile Striking Force, under the command of Takeo Kurita, had suffered significant damage and appeared to be retreating westward. However, by the next morning, the Japanese force had turned around and resumed its advance toward Leyte Gulf. With Admiral William Halsey Jr. lured into taking his powerful Third Fleet north after a decoy fleet and the Seventh Fleet engaged to the south, the recently landed 130,000 men of the Sixth Army were left vulnerable to Japanese attack on Leyte.

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1944  Wikimedia, Wikidata
battle, 

Chikuma, Leyte, Suzuya, 

• NavWeaps page^@
• The Operations Room page^@ Leyte Gulf - Battle off Samar
• The Operations Room page^@ Leyte Gulf - Battle off Samar, USS Johnston Fights to the Death
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Location: 11.6, 126.4, KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
2 places

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1944-10-25T00:00:00Z

1944-10-25T00:00:00Z

1944 Battle off Samar

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Frameless

Destroyers laying smoke screen during Battle off Samar 1944

Japanese Mitsubishi A6M kamikaze plane hits USS Suwannee (CVE-27) on 25 October 1944 (NH 71524)

Japanese Mitsubishi A6M kamikaze plane hits USS Suwannee (CVE-27) on 25 October 1944 (NNAM.2000.236.017)

Grumman F6F Hellcat tries to intercept a Japanese kamikaze attacking USS Suwannee (CVE-27) off the Philippines on 25 October 1944 (NH 71527)

USS White Plains (CVE-66) during Battle off Samar 1944

USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) is straddled by shells during the Battle off Samar, 25 October 1944 (80-G-287492)

USS Gambier Bay at the Battle off Samar

USS St Lo (CVE-63) making smoke during Battle off Samar 1944

USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) and escorts making smoke off Samar 1944

Japanese fleet underway off Samar, Philippines, 25 October 1944 (80-G-46989)

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
event	armed conflict	1944	Battle off Samar	battle	Wikidata
link	page		NavWeaps page@		Wikidata
link	page		The Operations Room page@	Leyte Gulf - Battle off Samar	Wikidata
link	page		The Operations Room page@	Leyte Gulf - Battle off Samar, USS Johnston Fights to the Death	Wikidata
object	watercraft		Chōkai	Takao-class cruiser, heavy cruiser	Wikidata
object	watercraft		Suzuya	Mogami-class cruiser, heavy cruiser	Wikidata
object	watercraft		USS Hoel	Fletcher-class destroyer, destroyer	Wikidata
object	watercraft		USS Samuel B. Roberts	destroyer escort, John C. Butler-class destroyer escort	Wikidata
site	shipwreck		Chikuma	Tone-class cruiser, shipwreck, heavy cruiser	Wikidata
commons	image		Destroyers laying smoke screen during Battle off Samar 1944		Commons
commons	image		Japanese Mitsubishi A6M kamikaze plane hits USS Suwannee (CVE-27) on 25 October 1944 (NH 71524)		Commons
commons	image		Japanese Mitsubishi A6M kamikaze plane hits USS Suwannee (CVE-27) on 25 October 1944 (NNAM.2000.236.017)		Commons
commons	image		Grumman F6F Hellcat tries to intercept a Japanese kamikaze attacking USS Suwannee (CVE-27) off the Philippines on 25 October 1944 (NH 71527)		Commons
commons	image		USS White Plains (CVE-66) during Battle off Samar 1944		Commons
commons	image		USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) is straddled by shells during the Battle off Samar, 25 October 1944 (80-G-287492)		Commons
commons	image		USS Gambier Bay at the Battle off Samar		Commons
commons	image		USS St Lo (CVE-63) making smoke during Battle off Samar 1944		Commons
commons	image		USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) and escorts making smoke off Samar 1944		Commons
commons	image		Japanese fleet underway off Samar, Philippines, 25 October 1944 (80-G-46989)		Commons