The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

"This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can." With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USSSamuel B. Robertson the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur's vulnerable invasion force were theRobertsand the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into history. In the tradition of the #1New York TimesbestsellerFlags of Our Fathers, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S. historyand captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a legendary victory. From the Hardcover edition.

James D. Hornfischer is a writer, literary agent, and former book editor. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Colgate University, he has graduate business and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three children.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>