The ship is widely known for her bold action in the Battle off Samar. The actions of Johnston —sunk in the action—and the little escort carrier task unit "Taffy 3" she was a member of helped stop Admiral Kurita 's Center Force from attacking vulnerable U. She was launched on 25 March , sponsored by Mrs. Marie S. Klinger, great-niece of her namesake, and was commissioned on 27 October , Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans in command. The day Johnston was commissioned, Cmdr.
Evans made a speech to the crew, quoting a phrase attributed to John Paul Jones : "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now. During the Marshall Islands campaign, Johnston bombarded the beaches at Kwajalein on 1 February , and made a five-day bombardment of Eniwetok from 17—22 February.
She gave direct support to invasion troops there, destroying several pillboxes and taking revetments along the beach under fire. En route to patrol duty in the Solomons on 28 March, she bombarded Kapingamarangi Atoll in the Carolines.
Johnston shelled an observation tower and several blockhouses , pillboxes, and dugouts along the beach. After laying a heavy barrage into that area, she took up anti-submarine patrol off Bougainville.
While performing this duty, on 15 May she sank the Japanese submarine I using depth charges. After three months of patrol in the Solomons, Johnston sailed to the Marshall Islands to prepare for the invasion and capture of Guam in the Marianas. On 21 July, she teamed up with the Pearl Harbor "ghost"—the battleship Pennsylvania —to bombard Guam.
