Commander Ernest Edwin Evans, 1931-1944

First ten years of service were aboard Colorado, Roper, Rathburne, Pensacola, Chaumont, Cahokia, and Black Hawk. In August 1941, assigned as Executive Officer aboard Alden, earning a Legion of Merit in sinking a Japanese submarine in January 1942.  Assigned command of Alden from March 1942 until July 1943 when ordered to be the commissioning Commanding Officer of destroyer Johnston.  Earned a Bronze Star Medal with Johnston’s probable sinking of a Japanese submarine in May 1944.  Awarded the Medal of Honor as Commanding Officer of Johnston in action in the Battle off Samar in World War II against vastly superior Japanese surface ships on 25 October 1944. Surprised by the sudden appearance of a major Japanese force of 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 4 battleships and 12 destroyers, CDR Evans advised his crew to “prepare to attack major portion of Japanese Fleet.”  He then gallantly diverted the superior enemy battleships and cruisers fire away from the lightly armed and armored U.S. aircraft carriers he was screening, being the first to lay a smoke screen and the first to launch a torpedo attack. Wounded early in the battle, outshooting and outmaneuvering the enemy, he consistently interposed his vessel between the hostile fleet units and the American carriers engaging an enemy heavy cruiser line at 10,000 yards.  After suffering a crippling loss of engine power from enemy battleships 14” shells, he lost communications with after-steering, but shifted command to the fantail and shouted steering orders through an open hatch to men turning the rudder by hand.  His ship fought furiously for three hours, causing Japanese destroyers and cruisers to prematurely launch torpedoes against the American carriers at excessive range. Surrounded by enemy cruisers and destroyers, Johnston sank losing 186 of her crew of 327.  The last to leave his ship before it went down, CDR Evans was never rescued from the water.

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