The last stand of the tin can sailors
by James D. Hornfischer · first published 2004
67% recommend33% neutral
"This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts on the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur's vulnerable invasion force were the Roberts and the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla p
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> The 115m-long US Navy destroyer sank during the Battle off Samar in 1944 after a fierce battle with a large fleet of Japanese warships. I tear up to think of this, as a retired sailor. "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors"[1] is really about standing and delivering. Historians may not agree, but the Battle Off Samar[3] was a modern analog of Thermopylae[3]. One especially poignant moment was when the 5"/38 (of one of…
on “USS Johnston: Sub dives to deepest-known shipwreck” ↗Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. An astonishing tale of daring and determination about the Battle off Samar in WW2 Pacific. Told with respect and admiration for the 6 USA escort carriers, their planes, and their…
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗…Japanese sources. Has updated information about some things that are taken as "truth" about Midway. Amazing book. EDITED to add: James Hornfischer has some great books about the Pacific Naval war: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour[3]. 6 small escort carriers, and a handful of destroyers and destroyer-escorts vs the heavyweights of the Japanese fleet: Battleships…
on “The Programmer's Brain (2021)” ↗If you're interested in how some of the wrecks got in Ironbottom Sound, read Neptune's Inferno by James Hornfischer. Then read The Last Stand of The Tin Can Sailors by the same author. Because it's an amazing book about some astonishing bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.
on “Mapping 20k ships that sank during WW II” ↗Non-fiction: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. US Navy destroyers, escort carriers and destroyer escorts face off against Japanese cruisers and battleships. The Japanese had many times the firepower of the US, yet incredibly…
on “Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?” ↗The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle…
on “Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?” ↗"Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" is available a zillion places other than amazon.
on “USS Johnston: Sub dives to deepest-known shipwreck” ↗