Task Force 77 had only nine Fletcher-class fleet destroyers spread across three escort-carrier groups, alongside thirteen John C. Butler-class destroyer escorts. A Fletcher was expected to fight enemy destroyers and threaten cruisers with torpedoes. The smaller escort was designed principally to protect other vessels, especially in convoy and anti-submarine roles, rather than duel major surface combatants. Samar forced ships optimized for protection to perform a fleet-destroyer mission against battleships and cruisers.
Notable Point · 29:02-31:19
Fleet destroyers and destroyer escorts had different jobs
Fleet destroyers were built to fight peer warships, while smaller destroyer escorts were optimized for convoy protection and anti-submarine work.