COLLISION AT SEA (33 years ago today-USS Frank E. Evans )

History Net ^ | 6-3-2002 | Phil Smith and Mal Lancaster

[divametso]

My husband was aboard the Evans when it was struck, fortunately he was on the half that stayed afloat. Starting in 1997 there is a reunion for the crew. This includes any one who served aboard her since she was put into service. So there are many men from the Korean War and the Viet Nam War. I don't recall any one from WW2 attending. The reunion is held yearly at different locations here in the states.

[hullspder]

It's been a strange day. I had a dream last night of my two years in the Navy. Something lead me to research the Evans as I was in Subic when it was in dry dock. I took some photos that are like the ones you have displayed. Man, it seems like just last week. It is sad to go through my military 'junk box' and remember things. I have talked with others throughout the years about the tragedy. Most recently, I have talked to people about the missing names of the lost sailors on Our Wall in Washington. From Sturgis, to Kansas City, to Denver and southern California everyone....Everyone, seems to agree that these men should be duly noted. I know there are rules about who is on the wall, and I respect that. I also feel a sense of right and wrong. These men just came from Vietnam and were probably going back at the conclusion of the exercises(a little research will note the commendations they received for their role). Are the names not on the wall because of a mistake that night and 'we' don't want to bring it to light? Is it because 74 souls were lost in the flash of a few minutes? I'm sorry if feel differently. That's one reason we go to war - to protect Freedom of Speech. But I am going to try to put forth more effort in getting the names added to the Wall. It's hard enough to view that Granite...even harder, for me, to see it not complete.

[southfork]

I remember the night well. I was stationed at U.S. Naval Communications Station San Antonio PI. As a Radioman 1st class technical control operator I was assigned to maintaining quality (multiplex) communications with various ships in the South China Sea. The HMAS Melbourne was typing some instructions to me and suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. A minute or two went by and I saw the rephase light come on and the Melbourne typed... "Blimey Mate, I think we just ran over one of your tin cans" .. The rest is history. Al Jensen

[KerryOwen]

I remember the night very well. I was on the USS Kearsarge watching from the port side catwalk as helos serched the water for survivors. I remember the survivors being brought to the hangar bay where a temporary triage was set up to treat the wounded. Another area was cordoned off for body bags until the dead could be transferred below to refrigeration units.
What I remember most was the surealistic conditions that night. The sea was glass smooth with flying fish from the wake providing the only disturbance to an otherwise mirror surface. The colored navigation lights and bright searchlights added reflections to a scene that I never saw repeated in my four years of shipboard service on the Kearsarge and later USS Coral Sea.
I find it appalling that the 74 sailors lost have not been recognized by the US military as Vietnam casualties. These men deserve to be listed on the wall. We owe them that...

Kerry Owen
MR2
US Navy 1968-1972

[SJackson]

Thanks for the pings. Worth remembering.

[SJackson]

You know, with just a post or two every 6 months, we could keep this thread going for years...
15 posted on 08/12/2003 9:02:59 PM CDT by GATOR NAVY

Four and counting :>)

[LIConFem]

Geez... I hope the airbags deployed!

[GATOR NAVY]

We need another Wall, one where there would be no question of whether or not these men's names belonged. I'd like to see a Cold War Wall.

[Chess77Steve]

This thread will go on and on. I just returned from a Vietnam Era Destroyer-men's Reunion and spoke to a Survivor
of the USS Frank E Evans. He suffered serious burns and is very active in getting his crew members inscribed on the Wall. I'm going to do what I can to help in this cause.

[GATOR NAVY]

Hope he's successful. How is he going about this?

I still think the idea of a Cold War Wall is appropriate.

[weetoots]

I was on the Evans, May ‘65 to May ‘67. One addition, if I may. Also berthed forward, including operations (Radar, ET’s, Sonar) was the Chiefs quarters and the deck crew.
I don’t remember where the quartermasters quarters where.
I knew some of the guys who went down with their ship. Sad.
A. Streicher RD3

[Unwillyn]

Missing from the accounts of this accident was the fact that ships in this task group that night were refueling from the USS Taluga (AO-62). I was aboard the Taluga when the accident occured, and still have a color Polaroid photo of the Evans after sunrise. It was my impression at the time, that the additional manuvering and repositioning of ships as they took turns refueling, contributed greatly to the confusion that lead to this accident.
A bad day for both Navies....
Paul D. Owens

[gmg1usn]

I was a Gunner’s Mate on the USS Noa DD841 at that time. Earlier that day the Evans was operating close off the coast of Viet Nam on the “Gun Line”. We came in on her last pass down the coast and relieved her . After she shot her last salvo with her stern gun mount we fell in line and began firing missions with our forward mounts. I saw her at Subic Bay later. I actually went aboard the remaining stern half sitting there in Subic. Even though there had been a lot of scavenging of parts from the remains you still could see the devastation of the collision. Most of us aboard ships at sea over there never really saw a picture of what that war was like especially for the infantry and artillery on land. We destroyer sailors only got to see the aircraft coming back to the carriers when we were plane guarding. The aircraft flew directly over us on their approach. We could tell when one was all shot up and damaged. We could hear the alarms on the carriers. We could see the lights frantically flashing. We could see the pilots eject and see the crippled F-4’s and A-6's hit the round down on the back of the flight deck and make that fiery plunge to the sea in front of us. Most of us were really young and because of the fact that we were not being fired upon and hit we did not sense the war. However seeing the stern of the Evans there at Subic put cold shivers down my spine. I am appalled that the names of those 74 men are not written on The Wall.

[DEG3 JACK]

I was a Radioman onboard the USS Schofield DEG-3 we were in the exercise also, and I also remember the melborn being on TTY and telling us that she had just cut our can in half. Our CO was real close with the Evans CO and we ran to there location, it was real erie arriving there at the brake of dawn, seeing the stern section floating in a clear calm sea, it was so smooth, I have never seen it like that before. I was talking to the Radioman on the Evans when all of a sudden there was nothing there.

[niobrara]

I am a resident of Niobrara, NE where there is a Memorial for the 3 Sage Brothers that were killed on the USS Frank E. Evans. I am trying to locate magazines on or around June 13, 1969 about the ship and the brothers for the Museum. Recently, we had the Time Magazine taken from the museum and I am trying to recover some of these artifacts. If you have any items or know of any magazine articles about the ship, can you please send them my way. Thanks and God Bless.

[Parramatta]

I also remember that night very well, I was on the HMAS Parramatta, we were escorting USS Kearsarge during the exercise. I was on the bridge when the signal came out at 3.00am the fateful night. We were deployed to the seen approx 30km away. Like all there that night I could not understand what had happened as the conditions were perfect. We stayed in the area for most of that day and then were required to escort the Melbourne back to Singapore to review the damage. 24 Hours out of Singapore we were deployed to Subic Bay to take the role of communications link between the Board of Inquiry and the Australian Navy. We stayed there approx 3 weeks if memory serves me right. I must admit we were a bit nervous as to how the American Sailors and Public would take our presence when we went ashore for leave given what happened - remembering we didn't really know what or how this tragedy came about. All we new was that the Melbourne hit the Evans. I was one of the first to take leave and each and every American I met couldn't thank me enough for what and how the sailors on the Melbourne did to try and save those left on the Evans. I must admit I was proud and at the same time devastated at knowing how many lives were lost. I really think out of this tragedy a special bond was created between the 2 navies. Yes I agree some sort of remembrance is deserved.

[NELLI EN3]

MY NAME IS JIM NELSON I WAS AN EN3 ON THE USS TAWASA ATF-92 AT THE TIME WE TOWED THE USS FRANK E. EVANS TO SUBIC. I AM SENDING THIS REPLY TO SAY HELLO AND MAY BE YOU COULD EMAIL ME? JLNELSON@AK.NET
THE TRAGEDY THAT THE USS EVANS AND IT’S CREW WENT THROUGH IS SOMETHING THAT MYSELF AND THE ENTIRE CREW OF THE TAWASA WILL NEVER FORGET.”MY THEY REST IN PEACE”.

[johngotti]

I was a QM3 (soon to be Qm2) on board that night. I would have had the next QM watch. We were hit at 3am local time. The carrier went thru the forward fire room/radio central/CIC/chart room, just forward of the mast. One signalman (I heard) landed on the flight deck. Nobody from the fireroom survived more than a few minutes. Forward engine room also flooded.
QM, Sm, etc. bunk area was the compartment forward of after steering, under mount 53. When we hit the ship rolled completely on her stbd side. Most crew compartments spanned the ship (side to side), 30 some feet. That meant some of those sleeping on the port side fell 3o feet. I remember waking to a concussion like noise similar to an incoming round. Then as the ship rolled, lots of metal noises, scraping banging, etc. Then there were screams, some of pain and some of surprise. We had some broken arms and legs. I have to call a bs on the Melbourne having running lights on. NEVER at night did any ships have lights, It was simulated wartime. I remember NO lights, No radar. We used a stadimeter for ranges and position. Depending on our station, the Melbourne silhouette was just a black blob at night. All ships were on a common zig-zag course. OD would order course changes from a time chart. We got out of time and OD didn’t realize we were on a different course...
I was one of the last to go on deck. A DC1 went through and shut doors, etc, but there were solid bulkheads (aft fire room, aft boiler room, etc.) With a calm sea there was no real danger of sinking soon. The sea was as calm as I ever saw it. It was strange to go topside and see no ship forward. I think the ship broke at the forward end of the torpedo deck. Only one boat davit was left. I think I saw the boat hanging.
Calm seas probably saved many lives. Also, Melbourne crew was impressive in their seamanship skills. I was told the boats had engines running and dropped the last several feet from the davits. They took off at full speed for our survivors.
Several people on the forward section were at their end of endurance when the boats pulled up. The Aussies kept the death toll down.
I have Stars & Stripes covering the collision and the Sage bros. I knew all three. As a Qm, I stood bridge watches with the Bms and worked with the radarman.
We had 3 days in Subic before we flew back to Long Beach. Those lightly injured or uninjured were sent to a just completed barracks. We had no duty and so swapped info during the day and got drunk at night. The barracks was worse for wear when we left.
About dawn we went up on the Melbourne’s stern under the flight deck. After a couple hours, the Aussies broke out a pallet of beer cases. The can was twice as big as USA beer cans and twice the alcohol content. I don’t remember if it was Fosters, but my sex life got better a few days later. Very thoughtful of them.
When the Kearsarge arrived we were transfered to her in Melbourne boats. We all took several more cans of beer and drank them on the trip over. Needless to say, many were drunk. The Kearsarge rigged a ladder, but they started moving us before the railing was in place. I remember someone falling into the sea. Some a’hole wouldn’t allow the beer on board so we drank up on the ladder on in the boats.
Riding a carrier after a tin can was amazing. We were on board 3 days and I only felt movement once. We watched a destroyed come alongside and were surprised how much she moved.

I served on a couple more WWII cans for short times and then was sent to a DLG (now called a cruiser). I spent the rest of my navy time trying to get off it.
I later was a commercial fisherman on the US west coast (salmon and albacore). I soon will be 60 and was about to be 21 when this happened. 40 years ago now.

I understand the Melbourne holds the peace time tonnage record.

Anyway, I have a lot of info/stories if anybody wants more.

johndapper@aol.com

[honky_dore]

I was a NAAH on HMAS Melbourne in 1969,21years old.
I finished my watch on the flight deck at 0200hrs, went below,showered and got a camp stretcher to sleep on the foc’sle port side (under the catapult). No sooner got to sleep and heard “hands to collision stations” but it was dream like. Next thing I was thrown out off the stretcher amongst noise sparks fumes etc, I then looked out of the opening port side and saw the bow of Evans conpletely on its side with the ships numbers clearly seen in the moonlight. I guess I was like a stunned mullet, as I witnessed the bow sink in no time flat. Someone was calling out for mother/wife or ?.
I then raced up to the flight deck to my station (ACR) and we just got to work arranging for the Wessex to be brought up from the hanger. At first light I took photos and then when we stopped for a service (church) sometime later in the morning, I got all emotional. Later I was required to help bring a body from sick bay up to the flight deck to be flown back to the Kearsage.
These memories still haunt me to some extent.
During this time my father was serving in Vietnam at Nui Dat in the Australian Army.
HMAS Melbourne limped into Singapore and got a temporary patch up job to cover up the bow so we could return to Sydney. 2 weeks after the collision while we were in Singapore, my first son was born 17th June.
I’m now 60 and my oldest son will be 40 next year, so here’s hoping the will be a 40th reunion somewhere next year. We are shipmates always.
Regards
Glen email: glen.dore1@bigpond.com
May God bless those of us who are still going and for those who have not survived RIP

[olrtex]

If anyone reading this knows where I can find a complete list of those on the Evans who died as a result of the collision, please post the information. A friend from NAVOCS was one of the Officers who died.