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USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413)
Commemorative Profile Drawing
by George Bieda

ORDER NOW

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Rating:
John Wukovits' new book about the
USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE 413)

www.johnwukovits.com

Added a glossary (opens in new window).

Updated the Biographies section.  There are now seven bios Under Development.  Some are missing photographs and all have missing data.  Please help:

• CAPT Douglass P. Johnson
• CAPT Dennis J. Sullivan
• CAPT Thomas B. Williamson
• CAPT John P. Whitney
• LCDR John E. Pace
• LCDR Aaron F. Beyer, Jr.
• LCDR Sigurd Hansen
   

TOP FEATURES

Rear Admiral Clifton "Ziggy" Sprague, USN was the OTC of Task Unit 77.4.3, radio call sign "Taffy III".  As a result of his leadership off Samar his six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts saved the day at Leyte Gulf.  Taffy III was one of three task units assigned to Task Group 77.4.

Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, IJN was the commander of the IJN Centre Force at Samar.  His force was comprised of four battleships, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and eleven destroyers.

If reading about the battle in detail is your passion then go directly to my online eBook, "The Battle Off Samar - Taffy III at Leyte Gulf".  This eBook is unique in that the entire action is depicted in time-line order with commentary by the author.  It is continuously updated.

The Combat Action Photo section is a great place to get a feel for the battle.  There are currently 35 photographs of the surface action that occurred on the morning of 25 October 1944 between Admiral Ziggy Sprague's Taffy III and Admiral Kurita's IJN Centre Force.

Less then two hours after the surface action concluded the surviving warships of Taffy III were set upon by Kamikaze aircraft.  The Kamikaze Strike Photograph section contains several photographs of this action.

Aircraft from the embarked composite squadrons played a major role in repulsing the IJN Centre Force at Samar.  The Composite Squadron section details the aircraft which fought in the Battle Off Samar.

Several fine monuments have been constructed to pay tribute to the men of Taffy III.  The Monuments sections contains photographs and information on these perpetual memorials dedicated to the men who fought and died for our freedom.

The IJN Warship section contains photographs and warship characteristics included in the back of my book.  All warships of the IJN Centre Force are in this section.

There are many historical photographs relating to Taffy III located in the Archive Photo Section.  These photos are dated before and after the Battle Off Samar.  This section also contains photographs of the CVEs from the other Taffy units.

A wide variety of articles, reports, and documents can be found in the Articles, Reports & Documents section.  Many are official Navy records and some are from personal collections obtained from family members.

The men who fought in the Battle Off Samar earned a plethora of awards.  Find out who was awarded the Medal of Honor and other awards in the Task Unit 77.4.3 Awards section.

The Special Features section contains an assortment of interesting finds.  A 1/48 scale model of GAMBIER BAY, paintings, a Leyte Gulf board game, and audio files from "Treasury Salutes" CDR Ernest Evans.

S1c Virgil Cox, USNR

This web site and my book
are dedicated to the memory of
my great-uncle:

Virgil Cox
1922-1995

Seaman First Class, USNR
Plankowner, crewmember, and survivor
of the sinking of
USS GAMBIER BAY (CVE 73)

FIFTH EDITION OF MY BOOK

The 5th Edition of my book (2010), "The Battle Off Samar - Taffy III at Leyte Gulf" at Lulu.com.

Soft cover:  292 pages, 8.5" x 11", perfect binding, 60# white interior paper, black and white interior ink , 100# exterior paper, full-color exterior ink.  $25.49 plus S&H.

Hardcover:   292 pages, 8.25" x 10.75", casewrap, 50# white interior paper, black and white interior ink , 100# exterior paper, full-color exterior ink.  $32.49 plus S&H.

Electronic (.pdf):  Contact me.

See Purchase My Book section for more info.