HistoryNet mastheadHistoryNetShop Summer Catalog

USS Frank E. Evans: Disaster in the South China Sea

Vietnam  | Single Page  | 21 comments  | Print This Post  | Email This Post

Niobrara is a very small town in Nebraska–so small it doesn't have a cinema, and the locals could not have flocked to see Saving Private Ryan. But Niobrara has a memorial outside its library dedicated to the three Sage brothers, who were the first family group allowed to serve together on a U.S. warship after World War II. Radarman 3rd Class Gregory Sage and Seaman Recruits Gary Sage and Kelly Sage died together, along with 71 shipmates, on USS Frank E. Evans when the Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne literally cut their destroyer in two at 3 o'clock on the morning of June 3, 1969, in the South China Sea. Most of Evans' 272-man crew were asleep at the time of the collision. Jolted awake by the impact, the Americans began a struggle to save their lives, if not their ship. The Australians soon joined in the desperate struggle.

Few Australians are aware of the collision that claimed 74 American lives during Operation Sea Spirit exercises at the height of the Vietnam War and led–in the face of tragedy–to a bond between sailors on either side of the Pacific. Now living in the United States, the retired skipper of the Australian carrier recalled the few awful minutes that changed the lives of hundreds of men. 'It's still very vivid, still bad memories, still a very traumatic occasion,' said John Stevenson.

A court-martial and the inquiry that followed found Captain Stevenson not at fault, yet his career was doomed from the moment his crew readied Evans to take up plane guard/rescue position, as Melbourne prepared for night-flying operations. Earlier in the exercise, Melbourne had had a near miss that was fresh in Stevenson's memory on June 3. 'A couple of nights before one of the other [American] destroyers took a run at us,' Stevenson recalled, but that time Melbourne had managed to get out of the destroyer's path.

Melbourne had signaled Evans, one of five U.S., British and New Zealand destroyers on the inner screen, to prepare to take up the position of plane guard, 1,000 yards behind the carrier. It was the fifth time that night that Evans had carried out the maneuver. The sea was dead calm, the water moonlit. As an extra precaution, Melbourne had her navigation lights at full brilliance. Procedures had been clearly established for the smaller vessel to turn away from the carrier before falling into a position well behind. But instead, the American destroyer turned into the huge carrier's path.

The June 3 collision is something former Sub-Lieutenant Graham Winterflood, a Westland Wessex helicopter pilot serving aboard Melbourne, won't ever forget. 'We were anti-submarine screen forward of the ship….' he said. 'We took off and were sent out on a heading ahead of Melbourne, and funnily enough, on the way there, I was the co-pilot and I could see a masthead light up ahead of us, so we had to dodge around that. Little did I know at the time that that was the USS Evans.'

Petty Officer Ron Baker was in Melbourne's radio room. 'It was like riding over a piece of corrugated iron on a bicycle,' he recalled. 'There was a shuddering as we went over something and the initial reaction was, 'We've run aground!' Of course this was all split-second thinking, and then we realized we were in 1,100 fathoms of water so the chances of running aground were pretty slim. Another thought that went through our heads was that we'd hit a submarine,' Baker added, 'because we knew there was a Russian submarine in the area monitoring the exercise.'

At that moment, Lieutenant Winterflood was hunting that submarine. 'We were just about to lower our sonar ball, when the ship recalled us, saying they'd had a collision,' he remembered. 'We flew back to the Melbourne, and tied alongside was half a destroyer. It was an unbelievable sight.'

Melbourne had ridden over the destroyer with such an impact that one of Evans' lookouts, Seaman Marcus Rodriguez, was thrown into the air, landing on the flight deck of the carrier and suffering horrible injuries. In the less than three minutes it took Winterflood's helicopter to return, the front section of the American ship had disappeared.

Aircrew and aircraft handlers were preparing to launch S-2E Tracker aircraft. Their engines were shut down immediately, and the crews rushed to help. Some dangled fire hoses over the carrier's side as makeshift ladders, while others secured Evans' stern alongside Melbourne with wire cable.

'It was all very quick,' recalled Stevenson. 'Very chaotic, but organized as far as the Melbourne was concerned. They all knew what they were doing. The stern half of the Evans was secured to the ship, and people hopped over the edge to help survivors back onto Melbourne.'

Ron Baker remembered: 'Some of the [Melbourne] officers dropped cargo nets over the side and scrambled down. Four of them actually went through the aft section of the Evans to make sure no one was left on there after the Americans had climbed on board.'

Stevenson recalled that 'Bob Burns, who's now dead, was one of the stars of the side. He dived over the stern, and a lot of guys did that.'

'He went over twice,' recounted Baker. 'He pulled in one guy who'd been crushed, got him in and was no sooner back on board than he spotted another bloke in the water, jumped over again and towed him to a lifeboat. He got the George Medal [the British Commonwealth's second highest award for noncombat heroism].' In the end, Melbourne crewmen received 15 Naval Board commendations, with two Queen's commendations, two British Empire Medals, a Member of the British Empire and one [British Commonwealth] Air Force Cross.

It was a bright, moonlit night, but down in the shadow of Melbourne was blackness. Jock Donnelly used the 10-inch signal lamp as spotlight, calling to the rescuers, 'There's another one!'

Winterflood's Wessex helicopter arrived overhead. 'There were two or three helicopters airborne at the time,' he recalled, 'and while ours didn't have a winch, we used our landing light to spotlight survivors, while the other two Wessexes used their winches.'

The unit citation awarded to Winterflood's No. 817 Squadron by the U.S. secretary of the Navy gave this account: 'Thirty-eight of the 111 men in the forward section of USS Frank E. Evans were able to escape or were thrown into the water. Within 25 minutes of the collision all these men had been returned to the Melbourne. The helicopters and men of 817 Squadron were called upon for maximum effort, not only during these first critical minutes when survivors were being illuminated in the water, but also during the more than 15 hours during which search operations continued.'

Overhead the helicopter crews were tired and stunned. Lieutenant Winterflood looked down on a scene alarmingly similar to the site of an accident five years earlier. 'There was a lot of stuff in the water,' he recalled. 'There were life rafts, motor cutters getting around and helicopters with lights. But the actual sight of half a ship was very hard to come to grips with because, having seen it once before, it was hard to imagine the same thing could happen again.'

Back in 1964 HMAS Voyager had collided with Melbourne, killing 82. Captain Stevenson had that earlier tragedy in mind on the occasion of the near-collision with an American destroyer in the spring of 1969. 'I now know what my friend Robbie [Captain John Robertson] went through,' he wrote his wife. 'He didn't have a chance of dodging Voyager. This destroyer was much farther away from me, and I didn't have much chance of avoiding her, but I just managed to get away.' Little did Stevenson know that a few days later, when Evans crossed Melbourne's path, he would have an even better idea of the horror Captain Robertson had experienced.

Subscribe Today

Subscribe to Vietnam magazine

Pages: 1 2

Tags: , ,

HistoryNet.com Subject Locator

  1. 21 Comments to “USS Frank E. Evans: Disaster in the South China Sea”

  2. My brother-in-law, Dwight Scott Pattee 1968 graduate of Annapolis…23 years old) was killed on the Frank E. Evans….We have missed him terrible for nearly 40 years….such a great loss…. the men that were killed. Jane H. Pattee

    By Jane H. Pattee on Jul 11, 2008 at 1:04 am

  3. 73 men went down that early morning. We have been looking for relatives of LTJG Pattee. Please contact me. Go to our site at http://www.ussfee.org

    The Historian

    By Frank Jablonski on Jul 28, 2008 at 6:28 pm

  4. MY BROTHER BYRON R PRUDEN SM1 WAS A CREW MEMBER ABOARD THE EVANS. HE PASSED AWAY IN 1983. HE WAS CREMATED AND BURIED AT SEA. I HAVE A FEW MEMENTOS I WOULD SHARE IF SOME ONE WHO IS ON THE COMMITEE FOR THE EVANS WOULD CONTACT AND IDENIFLY HISSELF PROPERLY. MY PHONE NUMBER IS AS FOLLOWS 1-661-821-8969.. BY THE WAY I WAS IN THE NAVY. EM3RD USS NAVARRO APA215..MY FATHER IS A RETIREDED NAVY COMMANDER JOHN BYRON PRUDEN 1935 THRE 1958. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER…..

    By JOHN HAROLD PRUDEN on Aug 29, 2008 at 1:53 pm

  5. I am looking for all list of the ships that were in Operation Sea Spirit in June of 1969. Espec ially those that were in company with the HMAS Melbourne. It is very important that I can not only find the names, but the records that would confim those ships. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    By Patrick Stevenson on Sep 14, 2008 at 12:02 am

  6. To Patrick Stevenson,(Comments above), I was serving on HMNZS Blackpool, (in company with FEE & Melbourne) on the night of 2/3 June 1969. I actually saw the incident unfold and my Bridge Communications Log was taken to the official enquiry after. Unfortunately, I do not recall the names of the other ships in our Task Force.
    Regards
    Stanley G Foster
    ASG B18677
    RNZN (Rt'rd)

    By Stanley G Foster on Oct 4, 2008 at 12:50 am

  7. In 1969 I was stationed on board the USS PICKING out of Long Beach, California. I was going to reenlist but needed to find someone that was willing to swap duty stations and on a ship going to Vietnam so I could take advantage of the reenlistment bonus. I remember finding a sailor that matched up with my credentials on board the FRANK E. EVANS. I had to go and meet with him and his Communications Officer to confirm we both met the criteria for this swap. Based on my interview with his communications officer and some unknown intervention I choose not to go ahead with this. I was on duty in the early hours of this tragedy and received the flash message coming across the teletype machine. Needless to say I was emotionally distraught both for my good fortune and their bad fortune. I don't remember the sailors name that I would have replaced nor do I remember if he survived. If anyone has the list of names I would like to know. Its been over 39 years and the tragedy is still fresh in my mind. I also have more details about this event that some people may not know. If anyone would like to communicate with me I can be reached at PGINTENN@AIM.CO

    By GARY JOHNSON on Oct 5, 2008 at 9:37 am

  8. Can someone please help me. After the Frank E Evans was sunk, I spent some 8 hrs in our ships boat (HMNZS Blackpool), and we picked up 1 survivor. I cannot remember what ship he was from, (originally thought he was from the FEE), but do not know for sure.
    Can anyone please shed some light on this for me.
    Regards
    Stanley G Foster

    By Stanley G Foster on Oct 6, 2008 at 8:06 pm

  9. To Patrick Stevenson:
    Ships in company with HMAS Melbourne on night of 2 – 3 June
    1969.
    HMAS Melbourne; HMNZS Blackpool; HMS Cleopatra;
    USS Frank E Evans; USS Everett F Larson; USS James E Keyes.
    I trust this is of some help to you.
    Regards
    Stanley G Foster

    By Stanley G Foster on Oct 23, 2008 at 8:22 pm

  10. May God always remember our shipmates. I worked plane guard during vietnam and was inport in the Philipines when this tragedy happened. I will never forget the sight of my shipmates ship, or should i say half a ship being towed to port as we left. Fair wind, and following sees to my shipmates.

    By jesse mccracken on Feb 14, 2009 at 1:00 am

  11. I am still disapointed that the names of the departed sailors, did not get on the memorial wall in DC. The Sage brothers, that
    did not survive the colision, were the sons of my first cousin. Mrs. Ernest Sage. I was at the dedication of the Memorial in Niobrara, Neb. and met a lot of the survivors, and I want to thank all of them for the kindness that they showed to Eunice Sage. I am still hopefull that the lost members of ;the Evans will someday be put on the WALL. I know that Sen. Hagle of Neb. has tried, but with no results. If anyone has any info on what might be done to get the names on, I will try to contact my state's legislators to try to get the job done.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON tinsmith@q.com

    By JIMMIE O. J;OHNSON on Feb 16, 2009 at 8:05 pm

  12. My sister's boyfriend was killed on the Frank E Evans….Jim Kerr. He will always be in our hearts and memories!

    By Jennifer Chadney on Mar 12, 2009 at 11:42 pm

  13. My brother was/is Jim Kerr. 40 years has not lessened the void. He was just a big kid and yes,LaurelChadney was the love of his life.Nice to connect with you Jennifer! Drop me a note. I will attend the FEE memorial on 6/3 in LB. Lest we forget.

    By Fred Kerr on May 24, 2009 at 11:25 pm

  14. I was on the Evans 1960 to 1963. Took her thru FRAMII shipyard. The gray ghost came out very beautiful. We proudly sailed her to Westpac cruise in 62. For an old tin can, there was a lot of love for her. I was ASW Officer and shipyard gave her a refit sonar that could actually pickup subs. She was a great ship and the collison hit me and a few of the other officers of that day very hard. What's more, Admiral King's hearing proceedings were a disgrace. The two people who coud have shed light on the whole mess were excused because they might have future legal problems. Is their careers more important that the lives that the evans lost?
    That the OOD was writing his log when the orders came t go to lifeguard station. And the JOD was also excused even tho he was the person with the "con" and had not passed his lifeguard qualifications two weeks prior.. The stationing from the screen station to lifeguard is very easy…but ony when you know what the carrier is doing.
    Oh man, excuse the rant. It helps naught.

    John Lucas, LTJG Gun Officer Uss Frank E. Evans DD754 (very retired.)

    By John Lucas on May 26, 2009 at 12:24 am

  15. My Brother was Kenneth W. Glines . He was a Great Brother and Person to all. I was only 9 yrs old when he died .It was a Great lost to Our Family . And He and all the other Men died for us and Our Freedom & Country. All their names should be on The Wall in D.C. I wish that my Parents could have been here for the memorial at Mt. Washington Cemetery ,in Kansas City , Mo . They were so Proud of Kenny and all those men that Lost their lives . It's hard to believe that it's been 40 Years . It's seem forever !!!

    By Jackie (Glines) Holland on May 26, 2009 at 11:28 pm

  16. My Father is Florentino F. Macayan, BTCS USN and the Chief of the watch on the Evans the night of the accident. He carried the scars of that night (physical and mental) all the way to his passing in Feb. 2000. Our family didn't know anything about the Evan's accident until right before his passing. All we knew was that our Mom and Dad went to Navy reunions for one of the ships our Dad served on called the Evans. Our Mom shared the story of the accident, as told to her by our Father, of the events the morning of June 3, 1969 and subsequent events after the accident. She told us that He carried guilt and remorse for the 73 lives lost and that’s why he never talked about it with us. He viewed the scars on his body from the accident as badges of shame that he saw every day for the rest of his life for not being able to do more to help the 73.

    Unfortunately our Dad was unable to communicate directly to use the events of that day due to his deteriorating health so we will never exactly how he felt. Since his passing I have researched the accident, spoke with previous Service Men who served on the Evans including survivors and Melbourne and have attended 2 Evans Reunions. The guilt and remorse that my Father felt seems to be a common theme among the survivors. It really is a shame that the US Government and Navy will not recognize the 73 lives lost on the Evans by adding their names to the Vietnam War memorial. One day I hope the Government will recongize the sacrafice they gave and give them recognition they rightly deserve.

    By Mark Macayan on May 29, 2009 at 1:51 pm

  17. My cousins, Gary, Gregory and Kelly Sage were killed in the Evans collision. I first found the Navy's website on the Evans' disaster about 10 years ago. I was 16 years old when this happened in 1969 and it was such a tragedy for our family. I am so thankful to have been able to meet many of the survivors of the crash when we had a memorial celebration for my cousins in Niobrara Nebraska in 1999. My aunt, Eunice Sage, is still alive and well as is their brother Douglas and, of course, many many relatives. I also am grateful to Pete Peters for all he did to bring us all together in 1999. We miss them all dearly and will never forget them, nor will we forget this horrible tragedy. My heart and best wishes go out to all of the survivors and their families. I recently lost my 26 year old son, Kelly (yes, named after Kelly) in an accident and I have an idea of what my aunt and uncle went through when their three sons were killed. It is such a horrible ordeal.

    Best wishes to you all!

    By Gayle Pierce on May 29, 2009 at 9:43 pm

  18. My father was on the Frank E. Evans in 1969. He took leave the week of the wreck. His name was Frank G. Young PO 1st Class. He was a cook and other odd jobs. I learned, as a Rn at a local hosptial, that the service man that filled my father's position that week survived but was later killed on land when he was mobbed. And today I ran into another serviceman today that served under the commander of the Evans. My father passed away a few weeks ago, and it is nice to run into him memory for while it lasts.

    By Cindy Trese on Jul 16, 2009 at 4:11 pm

  19. To Jackie Glines Holland: Hi Jackie, I was the skipper of the HMAS Melbournes first rescue boat in the water after the collision in 1969 and we recovered the body of your brother Ken, and 29 survivors.
    It was such a bad time for all of us, and I really felt for the families of those guys who didn't make it. i agree with you about their names missing from the Vietnam Memorial wall, it is such a bloody shame and really an insult to their memory.
    I will remember Kens name until the day I die!
    I wish you good luck. Peter Varley

    By Peter Varley on Aug 4, 2009 at 2:49 am

  20. To any of the guys from USS Frank E Evans who were picked up by the Melbournes rescue boat: I was the skipper of the first rescue boat in the water, and we were pretty overloaded when we went back to the Melbourne, to offload survivors and Ken Glines body.
    If you would like to make contact with me I would be happy to respond. I live in Perth Western Australia.
    Peter Varley
    varley1@ozemail.com.au

    By Peter Varley on Aug 4, 2009 at 3:01 am

  21. I served abourd Uss.Walke DD723 . Evans was sister ship.I wittnest 1/2 of Evans after strike.

    By Pete Townsend on Nov 8, 2009 at 3:42 am

  22. I was onboard Blackpool on that Far East trip … anyone remember me ? Wes Martin N.Z.19336

    By Wes Martin on Dec 11, 2009 at 3:57 am

Post a Comment

Please note that HistoryNet Staff cannot respond to requests for research of any type. Please visit our research forum to post research questions. If you have a question about our magazines, please use the contact us form.

Related Articles


SPONSORED SITES







HistoryNet Article Archives Historynet Spacer

HISTORYNET READERS' POLL

Given cultural differences and expanding populations, could European settlers and America’s native tribes poossibly have co-existed peacefully?

View Results | See previous polls

Loading ... Loading ...
STAY CONNECTED WITH US 
RSS Feed Daily Email Update
HistoryNet on Twitter HistoryNet RSS Feed

What is HistoryNet?

The HistoryNet.com is brought to you by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines.

If you are interested in a specific history subject, try searching our archives, you are bound to find something to pique your interest.

 Get our RSS!
 Newsletter Signup

From Our Magazines

Weider History Group

Weider History Network:  HistoryNet | Armchair General | Great History | Achtung Panzer!
Today in History | Picture of the Day | Daily Quiz | Daily History Question

Copyright © 2010 Weider History Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Subscription Help