No April Fools - USS Johnston (DD 557) Confirmed Found

1,601 Views | 6 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by P.H. Dexippus
thach
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10:16p, 4/1/21
AG
Naval History and Heritage Command Press Release

R/V Petrel located a wreck ~20,000 feet down in October 2019, and Caladan Oceanic confirmed it's Johnston.

Here are some images from the U.S. Pacific Fleet FB page.

The survey results are being shared with the USN, and hopefully we'll get to see some more details of what they've found.

I'm glad discoveries are still being made!
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$240 Worth of Pudding
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10:34p, 4/1/21
AG
Hell of a story. I was unaware of the Johnston and her captain's heroic actions.
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JABQ04
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10:46p, 4/1/21
AG
Still think this can be a hell of a movie.
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Smeghead4761
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9:48a, 4/2/21
Interesting that the USN does not appear to have ships named either Johnston or Evans on the current rolls.

DD-821 (the successor Johnston) was transferred to Taiwan in 1980. Recommission as Chen Yang, retired in 2003.
DE-1023, Evans, launched 1955, retired 1968.
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HollywoodBQ
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11:29a, 4/2/21
AG
Awesome story, thanks for sharing.

As I was reading the account of the battle, I thought, wow - this guy should get the Medal of Honor. Glad to see that he did.

Also amazing how two pieces of the ship could be 1100+ vertical feet apart at 20,000 feet under the sea.
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wildcat08
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In reply to $240 Worth of Pudding • 2:30p, 4/2/21
AG
SWC Ag said:
Hell of a story. I was unaware of the Johnston and her captain's heroic actions.
You would enjoy "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by Hornfischer.
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nortex97
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7:45a, 4/3/21
AG
Yeah, they must have used some really good white paint for that 557 number, still sitting upright, 21,000 feet down. Obviously took quite the thrashing.





Quote:
Noticing the Japanese ships were targeting escort carrier Gambier Bay (CVE-73), Evans gave the order to "commence firing on that cruiser, draw her fire on us and away from Gambier Bay." One by one, Johnston took on Japanese destroyers, although Johnston had no torpedoes and limited firepower. After two-and-a-half hours, Johnstondead in the waterwas surrounded by enemy ships. At 9:45 a.m., Evans gave the order to abandon ship. Twenty-five minutes later, the destroyer rolled over and began to sink.

Of the crew of 327, only 141 survived. Commanding Officer Cmdr. Ernest Evans was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor, the first Native American in the U.S. Navy and one of only two destroyer captains in WWII to be so honored.
Hornfischer talked about his book/this battle from Fredericksburg a few years ago.
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P.H. Dexippus
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2:57p, 4/3/21
AG
I just finished Ian W. Toll's trilogy last month. There's a great account of Johnston and her crew in Twilight of the Gods.
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