The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
Encyclopedia
The nonfiction book The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour is the first full narrative account of the Battle off Samar
, which author James D. Hornfischer
calls the greatest upset in the history of naval warfare. Published by Bantam Books
in February 2004, the book won the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature
in 2004 from the Naval Order of the United States.
A Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Military Book Club, the book tells the story of the remarkable two-and-a-half-hour sea battle fought on October 25, 1944, in which Rear Admiral Clifton A. F. Sprague's task unit, known as "Taffy 3" (7th Fleet's Task Unit 77.4.3), of "jeep carriers" and their "tin can"
escorts rose to the impossible challenge of beating back an overwhelming force of Japanese
battleship
s and cruiser
s under Vice Adm. Takeo Kurita
. Survivors of the four U.S. ships lost in the battle—, , , and —then struggled to survive a three-day-ordeal adrift at sea awaiting rescue. A fifth ship from Taffy 3, the escort carrier , was sunk in a kamikaze
attack immediately following the Japanese withdrawal.
Two TV documentaries based on Hornfischer's book have been produced. The first of them, produced by Lou Reda
Productions and premiering on The History Channel
on November 11, 2005, featured interviews with Hornfischer and veterans of the battle. It was followed by an episode of Dogfights on the History Channel, titled "The Death of the Japanese Navy", premiering on December 29, 2006, which featured a sophisticated CGI
rendition of the sea battle. One episode of Battle 360 dealt with the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
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 25 October 1944...
, which author James D. Hornfischer
James D. Hornfischer
James D. Hornfischer is an American literary agent and naval historian.A former editor at the publishing company HarperCollins in New York, Hornfischer is president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in Austin, Texas.-Professional Background:Hornfischer, a non-practicing member...
calls the greatest upset in the history of naval warfare. Published by Bantam Books
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
in February 2004, the book won the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature
Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature
Disambiguation: For the Samuel Eliot Morison Award of the USS Constitution Museum, see USS Constitution Museum.The Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature was established by the New York Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States in 1976....
in 2004 from the Naval Order of the United States.
A Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Military Book Club, the book tells the story of the remarkable two-and-a-half-hour sea battle fought on October 25, 1944, in which Rear Admiral Clifton A. F. Sprague's task unit, known as "Taffy 3" (7th Fleet's Task Unit 77.4.3), of "jeep carriers" and their "tin can"
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
escorts rose to the impossible challenge of beating back an overwhelming force of Japanese
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s and cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s under Vice Adm. Takeo Kurita
Takeo Kurita
Vice Admiral was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.-Early life:Kurita was born in Mito city, Ibaraki Prefecture in 1889. He was sent off to Etajima in 1905 and graduated from the 38th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1910, ranked 28th out of a class of...
. Survivors of the four U.S. ships lost in the battle—, , , and —then struggled to survive a three-day-ordeal adrift at sea awaiting rescue. A fifth ship from Taffy 3, the escort carrier , was sunk in a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attack immediately following the Japanese withdrawal.
Two TV documentaries based on Hornfischer's book have been produced. The first of them, produced by Lou Reda
Lou Reda
Lou Reda is filmmaker, specializing in television documentaries, who has produced some 400 productions, as chairman of Lou Reda Productions, based in Easton, Pennsylvania. Reda's production company has been called "the largest producer of programs for the A&E and History Channel cable operations",...
Productions and premiering on The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
on November 11, 2005, featured interviews with Hornfischer and veterans of the battle. It was followed by an episode of Dogfights on the History Channel, titled "The Death of the Japanese Navy", premiering on December 29, 2006, which featured a sophisticated CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
rendition of the sea battle. One episode of Battle 360 dealt with the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
External links
- www.jameshornfischer.com—James D. Hornfischer's official site
- Interview with James D. Hornfischer at the Pritzker Military LibraryPritzker Military LibraryThe Pritzker Military Library is a research library for the study of military history in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 2003 by COL James N. Pritzker, IL ARNG to be a non-partisan institution for the study of "the citizen soldier as an essential element for the preservation of...
- Battle 360 - BATTLE OF LEYTE GULF History Channel