Samuel B. Roberts Intercepts 7,000-lb. Drug Shipment

ABOARD USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58), working with Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 403, recently detained eight suspected drug traffickers and recovered more than 7,000 lbs. of cocaine from an ablaze vessel while at the mid-point of a record-setting counter-drug deployment.

Roberts was ordered to intercept and question a suspicious vessel that was being tracked by the ship’s embarked helicopter, Magnum 450, from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron, Light (HSL) 44 Det. 7. But initial attempts to establish communications received no response. Finally, the suspected vessel sent a message stating there was an emergency aboard and that the vessel was taking on water.

Immediately, the LEDET headed to the vessel aboard Robert’s Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB), while the bridge watchstanders monitored the vessel for signs of an emergency. Abruptly, and to the dismay of Robert’s crew, the smell of fuel oil became evident, even from a distance of several hundred yards.

While the RHIB was approaching, men aboard the suspect vessel lowered a raft. When the RHIB was alongside the vessel, LEDET team members quickly embarked to ensure it was not taking on water. Suddenly, one suspect threw a Molotov cocktail, immediately engulfing the wooden fishing vessel in flames. From the magnitude of the flames, it was clear the men had spread fuel oil throughout the vessel in an attempt to destroy it and the evidence suspected to be aboard. The members of the LEDET team quickly debarked the vessel without incident, but minutes later, a huge explosion erupted as the fire reached one of the fuel tanks.

Keeping a safe distance from the burning vessel, the Coast Guard team kept watch on the eight suspects that had abandoned the vessel after setting in on fire.

Putting to use their damage control training, Robert’s crew salvaged the vessel to preserve the suspected contraband. Using Aqueous Film Forming Foam to smother the fire, the hose teams worked for more than three hours until the blaze was under control.

"That was the most exciting time I've ever had in the Navy. That was my first fire, and I was glad I was involved. I finally got to put all that training to use," stated Damage Controlman 2nd Class Chuck Hickey.

"I was very impressed by the aggressive response to the fire; the firefighting effort was supported by the entire ship. Events like this really test a ship's damage control readiness and the crew's training. Everyone did a great job," said Ensign Tom Delaney, Roberts' damage control assistant.

Though the superstructure of the vessel was completely destroyed, the holds below the main deck remained intact. After receiving permission from Coast Guard, District 11, LEDET 403 began investigating the remains. It wasn't long before the team discovered a false water tank filled with bundled packages that tested positive for cocaine.

“My team and the crew of the Samuel B. Roberts worked together to recover the cocaine, never allowing themselves to become discouraged by the difficult circumstances,” said Damage Controlman 2nd Class Gerald Fox, LEDET 403’s boarding officer.

Roberts, a Commander, Naval Surface Group 2 ship, assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron 14, has recovered more than 9 metric tons of cocaine in less than three months and is on track to having one of the most successful counter-drug operations deployments on record.

"My crew continues to amaze me with their tenacity and relentless pursuit of suspected drug smugglers. With every bust different from the last, this one presented a major damage control challenge that was met with courage and professionalism. The performance of my damage control team was beyond outstanding and was directly responsible for the seizure of more than 7,000 lbs. of cocaine," said Roberts' Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Michael A Hall.

Like Samuel B. Roberts, U.S. Navy ships deployed to the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command area of responsibility work in cooperation with the Coast Guard and other counter-drug agencies to keep illegal narcotics from reaching the U.S. coast and the profits of this illegal trade from reaching terrorist hands.

For related news, visit the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cusns.

Rank	Location	Receipts	Donors/Avg	Freepers/Avg	Monthlies
22	Oregon	325.00	10	32.50	218	1.49	85.00	5

As long as we have a Navy, there should by a USS Samuel B. Roberts.The current ship is the third. The second was a destroyer that served from 1945 to 1970...

Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts, Jr. was born in San Francisco on 12 May 1921. He enlisted in the US Naval Reserve in 1939 and was called to active duty in 1940. Roberts served aboard the USS CALIFORNIA (BB 44) and the USS HEYWOOD (AD 12), before being transferred to the troop transport USS BELLATRIX (AKA 20).

In 1942, BELLATRIX was assigned to task group FOUR and became part of the Guadalcanal Assault Force. As a coxswain for the BELLATRIX's Assault (Higgins) boats, Roberts became extensively involved in the landing of supplies from ships at sea to what was a very tenuous beachhead. As a result of the heavy fighting at sea beginning 7 August 1942, Coxswain Roberts was transferred to the Beachmaster unit on the island of Guadalcanal to perform transport and medevac duties.

Early on the morning of 27 September 1942, Roberts volunteered for a rescue mission to save a company-size unit of Marines that had been surrounded by a numerically superior Japanese force. Initially, the rescue group of several Hoggins boats was taken under heavy fire and was perilously close to failure. Realizing the state of the rescue mission, Roberts unselfishly volunteered to distract Japanese forces by passing directly in front of their lines drawing their fire.

Roberts performed this decoy act effectively until all Marines had been evacuated. As he was about to withdraw from the range of the Japanese guns, however, Roberts' boat was hit and he was mortally wounded.

For his valor and courage in the face of the enemy fire, Coxswain Samuel Booker Roberts was awarded posthumously the Navy Cross. Currently, Coxswain Roberts' Navy Cross is proudly displayed in the Wardroom of the USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG 58), the third ship of the US Navy to bear his name. [source: FFG 58] [see Navy Historical Center, history of naming Navy ships]

Ship's Section
Office of Public Information
Navy Department

HISTORY OF USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE 413)

Several direct hits by 8 and 14-inch salvos, scored by heavy Japanese ships, sunk the USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE 413) in the Battle for Leyte Gulf off Samar Island, bringing to an end her valiant slugfest with enemy vessels of superior power.

The ROBERTS dodged torpedoes, and threw punches of her own for fully 50 minutes before the superior numbers and armament of the enemy vessels sent her to the bottom on October 25, 1944.

The destroyer escort was part of a screening unit to protect a force of American aircraft carriers. When the enemy opened fire at 7 o'clock that morning, the ROBERTS immediately sought to protect her "flattops." The first step was to lay a smoke screen and then, steaming under cover of her own screen, the ROBERTS approached within 4,000 yards of a Jap heavy cruiser, fired three torpedoes, and returned to the protection of the smoke. One of the torpedoes struck home and started fires in the enemy ship.

Keeping between the main enemy force and her own carriers, the ROBERTS settled back and turned all guns on a Japanese cruiser. One 5-inch gun fired more than 300 rounds of ammunition, all that was available, in 50 furious minutes, scoring at least 40 sure hits.

The rapid fire from this gun was halted when a Jap battleship found the range and blasted the gun out of action with a 14-inch s Six charges were rammed in by hand and fired, although the men knew that an explosion might result from each of them because the gas ejection system was not working.

The seventh round fired in this manner exploded and killed all but three members of the gun crew outright. The gun captain, Paul Henry Carr, Gunner's Mate, Third Class, who was credited generously for the excellent performance there was wounded beside his mount, clutching the last 5-inch shell and struggling to ram the 50-pound projectile into the chamber. Upon the recommendation of his Commanding Officer, Carr was on March 1, 1945 awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.

In the next few minutes, the Japs kept sending successive salvos of major caliber projectiles into the foundering destroyer escort. The death blow was a three-gun battleship 14-inch salvo that hit in number 2 engine room, tearing a hole 40-feet long and 10-feet wide in the ship's skin on the port side. Abandon ship was ordered.

Men abandoning the vessel to port launched a life raft on that side, but a breeze blew it into the gaping hole torn by the last salvo. Four men crawled into the aperture, embarked upon the raft, and with every ounce of strength at their command, pushed the raft against the tide of inrushing water and managed to get it outside of the rupture.

This was an important victory because the 120 men that survived had only two other rafts and two floater nets on which to cling until rescue was effected some 50 hours later.

The long ordeal at sea was marked by shark attacks and lack of water. Eighteen hours were spent in heavy, oil-covered waters and each man became so saturated with the sticky substance, that he was indistinguishable from the others. One individualist removed some oil-smeared clothes in order to ease his swimming but in so doing exposed the lower portion of his body which was still white, not being covered with oil. A shark was attracted, swam up to the naked survivor, and nudged the exposed portion. The man put his oily clothes back on with haste.

A PC (Patrol Craft), escorting a group of five LCI's, came upon the group at the start of their third day. The ship's commanding officer, fearing that some of the men might be dynamite-laden Jap suicide swimmers purposely smeared with oil, approached the survivors with guns manned and ready. He put them to a test by yelling, "Who won the World Series?" "The St. Louis Cardinals" the answer shot back.

The ROBERTS' life lasted only six months. Built by the Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston, Texas, the ship was commissioned on April 28, 1944. Lieutenant Commander R. W. Copeland, USNR, who had charge of the ship when it dodged shells at Samar, was the vessel's commanding officer.

Mrs. Samuel B. Roberts, mother of the ship's namesake, Samuel B. Roberts, Jr., Coxswain, USNR sponsored the vessel. Coxswain Roberts was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while serving on the crew of a landing craft that rescued stranded Marines from Guadalcanal under intense enemy fire.

The ROBERTS was a "long hull" type destroyer escort with geared turbine drive and five-inch guns. Other characteristics were: length, 306 feet; beam, 37 feet; full load displacement, 1700 tons.

Another interesting note is that the brother of Samuel Roberts asked to serve on the ship. He survived the sinking.

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