WWII · Battle Death Record
Ernest Evans
Commander, U.S. Navy · Oklahoma
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- Ernest Evans
- Entered the Service From
- Oklahoma
- Rank
- Commander
- Service
- U.S. Navy
- Unit / Regiment
- USS Johnston (DD-557)
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- October 25, 1944
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation
- Burial / Memorial
- Commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
- Grave
- Tablets of the Missing
Their story
As commanding officer of the destroyer USS Johnston at the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944, Evans boldly led a torpedo attack against a vastly superior Japanese fleet to shield escort carriers, drawing enemy fire onto his own ship. Seriously wounded early in the three-hour action, he continued to direct the fight until the Johnston was sunk; his remains were never recovered. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.