The 'Expendable' American Carrier That Faced Japan’s Most Powerful Fleet At Samar скачать в хорошем качестве

The 'Expendable' American Carrier That Faced Japan’s Most Powerful Fleet At Samar

On October 25, 1944, off the coast of Samar, six American escort carriers suddenly found themselves facing the most powerful surface fleet Japan could assemble. Battleships. Heavy cruisers. Destroyers. The escort carrier USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was never designed for surface combat. Built on a merchant hull with minimal armor and a top speed under twenty knots, she carried aircraft for close air support — not for dueling with Yamato-class battleships. When Admiral Kurita’s Center Force emerged from San Bernardino Strait, Taffy 3 became the last line of defense for the Leyte invasion. What followed became one of the most extraordinary naval battles of World War II — destroyers charging battleships, aircraft attacking cruisers with depth charges, and thin-skinned escort carriers fighting for survival against eight-inch and fourteen-inch guns. Gambier Bay became the only American aircraft carrier sunk by surface gunfire in WWII. This is the story of what happens when auxiliary carriers meet battleship guns — and how courage bought time when armor could not. If you enjoy detailed World War II naval history and forgotten warship stories, subscribe for more. #WW2 #BattleOffSamar #Taffy3 #LeyteGulf #USNavy #PacificWar #NavalHistory #WorldWar2