On October 26–27, 1944, U.S. Navy patrol craft and infantry landing craft searched the waters east of Samar for survivors of the previous day’s battle. During the Battle off Samar, the escort carriers and screening ships of the American task unit known as “Taffy 3” had fought a vastly more powerful Japanese surface force. Their resistance helped thwart the Japanese advance toward the Leyte invasion forces, but the battle left survivors of several sunken American ships awaiting rescue at sea.
Delayed by poor coordination and inaccurate position reports, rescue efforts reached many of the men only after a prolonged ordeal. Survivors endured thirst, exposure, exhaustion, and wounds; some also faced shark attacks. For many, the wait extended into a second night.
Commander James A. Baxter led a seven-vessel rescue group consisting of the patrol craft PC-623 and PC-1119 and five infantry landing craft. Late on October 26, flares fired by survivors guided the rescuers toward their rafts. PC-623 began recovering men from Gambier Bay just after midnight, and the search continued into October 27.
Many survivors came aboard covered in oil and suffering from shock, thirst, exposure, and combat wounds. With a doctor aboard, PC-623 took on severely wounded men, while rescuers distributed clothing and blankets. Baxter’s group recovered approximately 1,150 survivors, who were subsequently transferred to ships equipped to provide further medical care. No
Photos like this preserve scenes of the rescue, while the operational record reveals the difficult work behind it: locating scattered rafts, bringing exhausted men aboard small vessels, and caring for the wounded. Together, these records document both the human cost of the Battle off Samar and the effort required to bring its survivors home.
