Happenings USS FEE

Remembering the USS Frank E. Evans: A Call to Action

We need your help.

The time to recognize the names of the 74 sailors who lost their lives on the USS Frank E. Evans is long overdue. On June 3, 1969, the USS Evans collided with the HMAS Melbourne during Operation Sea Spirit in the South China Sea, leading to the loss of those sailors. When the Vietnam War Memorial was erected in Washington D.C., the names of those 74 sailors were left off the Memorial. The USS Frank E. Evans Association has been fighting for years to correct this wrong.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington DC
by Scarlet Sappho
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington DC by Scarlet Sappho, Some rights reserved

For this session of Congress, proposed legislation has bi-partisan support. The House of Representatives is considering HR3826, the USS Frank E. Evans Act:

  • Introduced by Adam Schiff (D-CA)
  • Co Sponsored by:
    • Kelly Armstrong (R-ND)
    • Joe Courtney (D-CT)
    • Pete Stauber (R-MN)
    • Mike Levin (D-CA)
    • Judy Chu (D-28)
    • Mike Thompson (D-4)
    • Don Bacon (R-NE)
    • Brad Sherman (D-CA)
    • Mike Flood (R-NE)
    • Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
    • Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)

Current Status: HR3826 has been referred to both the Committee on the Armed Services and the Committee on Natural Resources/Subcommittee on Federal Lands.

The US Senate is considering Amendment 2207 to S4638 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. The Amendment was submitted by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The amendment is currently in a “Proposed” status, and is one of 1171 potential amendments to the NDAA.

Contact Your Legislators

Please reach out to your Congressperson and Senator(s). Encourage them to support the legislative actions now in front of them. We’ve made it easy for you – you can send a letter right from our website. We also ask that you sign our petition to the the Senate Armed Forces Committee.

Time is of the Essence

The current legislative session ends in January.

Please act today – and share with any family & friends who are also willing to support our efforts.

Find information on current legislative actions related to the USS Frank E. Evans Project 74 to add the names to the Vietnam Wall Memorial here.

Support the Lost 74 Memorial Bridge Signage Fund

Exciting News!

The California legislature has approved the naming of the Highway 1 & Interstate 710 interchange and bridge in Long Beach! This interchange & bridge are a fitting memorial of the 74 sailors lost on June 3, 1969 when the USS Frank E. Evans fatefully collided with the HMAS Melbourne while serving with the Pacific fleet during the Vietnam War. Long Beach was the USS Evans homeport, and once the signage is in place, thousands of drivers will be reminded every day of their sacrifice.

Lost 74 Memorial Bridge & Interchange

While the renaming of the bridge and interchange have been approved, it is up to the USS Frank E. Evans Association to pay for the new signage. To contribute to the fund for the signage, please donate here! And whether you donate or not, please share on your social media channels to help us raise awareness! We appreciate any support you can provide.

2023 Reunion Video

As you finalize your plans for this year’s reunion in Spokane, here’s a look back at last year’s reunion, hosted in Springfield, Illinois.

Joe Watt

Airman First Class Joe Watt (USAF) age 82 (father of member Lisa Watt and grandfather of members Xiola Watt, Julliette Darcey and Ronan Darling) passed away on 18 July 2024 in Hemet, California.  In the last few years Joe battled throat cancer and many other health issues.  A military burial will take place in the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Riverside California at a future date to be determined.

Most of you are not aware that Joe was responsible for reaching out to our association to place a memorial tile on American Legion Post 149’s Honor and Remembrance Wall in 2010.  Little did we know that that tile would draw the interest of a young newspaper reporter (Louise Esola) who would soon write her first book “American Boys.”

Our Association thanks Joe for his constant support of the USS Frank E. Evans Association and the “Lost 74”.  Condolences can be sent to his daughter; Lisa Watt via email to: lisajanewatt@gmail.com

Reunion – Early Bird Deadline Coming Soon!

Reunion packets went out and the Early Bird deadline for registration is Tuesday, July 16th! All registrations need to be postmarked or received by that date in order to take advantage of early bird pricing.

Details about this year’s reunion in Spokane, Washington can be found on our reunion page. Here’s how to register:

  • Download the fillable pdf, and save it after filling in all your selections. The total fees will calculate automatically in the form.
  • Submit your completed form and payment:

Highlights include:

  • Memorial Ceremony, Live Auction & Dinner
  • Formal Dinner
  • Tour of Spokane & the Bing Crosby House
  • Tour of Coeur d’Alene & a boat ride on Lake Coeur d’Alene
  • Game Night!
  • and the Pub Crawl!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Spokane

Gerald Powers White, TM3

I reported onboard the Evens in February of 1969. This is the Torpedo Crew of the USS Frank E. Evans sometime between 6 March and 3 June of 1969. Shown left to right are: TM3 White, TMSN Filbin, TM2 Midgley. I do not know who took this picture or why, but it looks like a posed shot.  Our berthing area was in the stern of the ship. All were survivors of the collision.


WHITE, Gerald Powers TM3  Reported on board 10 Feb 1969
FILBIN, Patrick James TMSN  Reported on board 6 Mar 1969
MIDGLEY, Jay Clifton TM2  Reported on board 13 Sep 1966

I reported onboard the USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) as a Torpedoman’s Mate 3rd Class (TM3) on 10 February 1969 in Long Beach, California. I joined the Navy in 1967 and my first assignment was the USS Somers (DDG 34), a brand new Guided Missile Destroyer that was still being built in Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, California. The Somers had changed home ports to Long Beach and I literary walked across the pier from a state of the art destroyer to relic from World War II. I went from aluminum bunks with lights and individual lockers under a thick mattress to a stretch canvas bunk with a small locker on the deck. My berthing area was in the stern of the ship just forward of the After Steering compartment. We would sleep to the vibration of the screws and awakened every time the ship changed speed.

On the way to Vietnam, I will always remember being in Pearl Harbor and watching Japanese Zeros flying over the harbor for the movie “TORA, TORA, TORA.” (My son later joined the Navy as a Corpsman, and was stationed in Pearl Harbor during the filming of the movie “Pearl Harbor”. He too remembers seeing Zeros and dogfights over the harbor.)

The Evans then sailed to Yokosuka, Japan where I bought a Bolivia diving watch which I still have but no longer works and a 35mm camera. We only stayed there a couple of days but long enough to visit a Japanese Bath House and get chased out of a bar.

Our next homeport was Subic Bay in the Philippines. As a single 19 year old sailor, I often went to Olongapo City and did a lot of what young sailors are known for doing. This included drinking warm San Miguel beer, eating monkey meat on the street and other activities.

After arriving on the firing line off the coast of Vietnam, we saw artillery rounds creeping from the shoreline toward our position. We and the Army were shooting at the same ridgeline and it was determined that the U. S. Army was over-shooting their target and getting closer to us. Shortly after that, we had a visit from an Australian cost watcher. While he was meeting with our Captain, the crew of his small boat showed us a sea snake they had caught and then did some waterskiing around our ship.

I won’t say it was hot in Vietnam but during the day the bulkheads would sweat and even the cold water in the showers was warm.

As I mentioned earlier, my berthing area was in the stern of the ship just below the after gun mount. Every time the gun fired, crap would fall out of the overhead and on to our bunks. One day a turret pin busted in the after gun mount and we did not have a replacement. We had to hand transfer all the ammunition from the after gun mount to the forward gun mounts until a replacement pin arrived.

As a Torpedomen, my General Quarters position was amidship on the torpedo deck but my watch station while underway or anchored was in the sonar room in the forward part of the ship, right behind the bridge. I remember being on watch and picking up small arms fire from the beach on the sonar scope. We could also see the tracer rounds at night. On the night of the accident, I was relieved of sonar duty and returned to my bunk in the after part of the ship. At around 3am I was thrown out of my bunk on to the deck and had 3 people on top of me. It felt like we had hit a log but there was no vibrations and no engine noise. I remember hearing the After Steering Watch yelling into his sound powered phone that he had control to the ship. After a few seconds, someone said to get up to the main deck. We did this in a quick and orderly manor since the emergency lights were working and the ship was still. There seemed to be a little more confusing on the main deck as we tried to determine what had happened. My instinct was to go to my battle station on the Torpedo deck. When I arrived there, I only saw one torpedo mount and then nothing but darkness. If I had walked a few feet further, I would have fell onto the ocean. I must have went into shock because I don’t remember anything except just standing there staring into the darkness where the front of the ship should have been.

After being nudged by a fellow shipmate, I realized it was time to move. By this time the HMAS Melbourne was next to us on our port side with a cargo net hanging down to the after section of the Evans. I climbed up the cargo net and joined the rest of the survivors aboard the Melbourne. I spent a couple of days on the Melbourne before transferring to the USS Kearsarge (CV 33) and then returning to Subic Bay.

June 3, 2024 Memorials – Photos & News Coverage

Nebraska Memorial

On June 6, Papillion, Nebraska unveiled a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A wall was dedicated to the 74. (see attached). It is a very impressive memorial and highly recommended to go and visit.

KETV Coverage: ‘Forgotten Four’ remembered: New memorial to honor Vietnam War veterans left off national wall. (The video includes our own Linda Vaa.)

KETV Coverage: Chronicle: Nebraska’s Vietnam War Memorial

Gurnee, IL Memorial

The memorial service on June 3 for Gurnee, Illinois was canceled. Julie and I could not let the day go by without recognizing “The Lost 74.” We stopped by with a plant and found the cemetery had placed the flags.
Susie Covert and Julie Moreland, widow and daughter of LTJG Jeff Covert 1967-1969

Long Beach Memorial