Ernest E. Evans

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Ernest Edwin Evans (August 13, 1908 – October 25, 1944) was a United States Navy commander who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle off Samar during World War II. He was of Native American (Cherokee/Creek) descent and was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma. Evans grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from Muskogee Central High School. After one year of enlisted service in the Navy, he entered the United States Naval Academy, becoming a midshipman in 1927 and graduating in 1931.

Evans joined the destroyer Alden and served in the Pacific during the early years of the war. He became the commanding officer of Alden on March 14, 1942, a position he held until July 7, 1943, taking part in operations around Australia, New Guinea, and the Dutch East Indies. In late 1943 he was assigned to fitting out the destroyer Johnston in Seattle and took command of Johnston when she was commissioned on October 27, 1943. He famously told his crew that Johnston would be a fighting ship and that anyone who did not want to go into combat should leave.

While commanding Johnston, Evans earned the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in sinking the Japanese submarine I-176 on May 16, 1944. In October 1944, during the Battle off Samar, Johnston was part of a small American force known as Taffy 3, which fought a much larger Japanese fleet to protect carriers during the Leyte Gulf actions. Evans led Johnston in a bold series of attacks, including a torpedo strike against the Japanese heavy cruiser Kumano after laying a smoke screen to shield the escort carriers.

The Johnston came under intense fire and was fatally damaged by shells from the battleship Yamato. Evans was seriously wounded, but he refused pain relief and continued to direct repairs and gunfire as the ship fought on. Johnston eventually sank; Evans did not survive, and his body was never recovered. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and leadership during the battle, which helped the Americans stall the Japanese fleet and protect the landing force.

The actions of Evans and Johnston’s crew, along with the other ships in Taffy 3, are remembered as a dramatic stand against overwhelming odds. In 1955, the destroyer escort USS Evans (DE-1023) was named in his honor. In 2023, the Navy announced a new ship would be named after him, DDG-141, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Evans is honored for his courage in the face of a superior enemy and for his inspiring leadership under fire.