Commissioning
The USS Evans was a member of the Dealey class of destroyer escorts. She was named in honor of Commander Ernest E. Evans, the first Cherokee Indian graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Commander Evans was the commanding officer of the USS Johnston during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions during that battle.
The order to build the Evans was awarded to the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Co. of Seattle. Her keel was laid down on April 8, 1955; she was launched on Sept. 14 of that same year. She was commissioned on June 14, 1957, with Lt. Commander H.F. Wiley in command.
Underway
The Evans was assigned to the Pacific Fleet and homeported in San Diego. Her first major deployment began in January 1958, when she was ordered to the Western Pacific. She made ports of call in Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines and took part in training exercises with the South Korean Navy.
A second Western Pacific deployment began in January 1959. On Feb. 7, she arrived in Leyte Gulf and held a memorial service for her namesake. She conducted brief exercises with the Philippine Navy before heading to the Taiwan Straits, then a source of contention between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan.
In June 1960, the Evans returned to the Taiwan Straits as friction between communist China and nationalist Taiwan increased over the islands of Quemoy Matsu. The Evans served as part of a U.S. task force intended to prevent a communist attack against Taiwan and spent two weeks in the area. She was awarded the Armed Force Expeditionary Medal for the deployment and earned another one for a brief patrol of the area a year later.
The Evans would also receive two expeditionary medals for service in the Vietnam combat zone before formal U.S. involvement, in 1963 and 1964. After the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Evans returned to the Gulf of Tonkin in both 1966 and 1967 and earned seven Vietnam Service Medals.
In September 1968, the Evans was assigned to Reserve Destroy Squadron 27 in Seattle and was given the job training naval reservists from the west coast of the United States. In April 1971, she was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 37.
Decommissioning
Decommissioned when she joined the reserves in September 1968, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Dec. 3, 1973 and sold for scrap in 1974.
Characteristics of the USS Evans (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Class and type: Dealey-class destroyer escort
Displacement: 1,877 long tons (1,907 t) full load
Length: 314 ft 6 in (95.9 m)
Beam: 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m)
Draft: 18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Foster-Wheeler boilers, 1 × De Laval geared turbine, 20,000 shp (15 MW)
1 shaft Speed: 27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h)
Range: 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement: 170
Armament: • 4 × 3″/50 caliber guns
• 1 × Squid ASW mortar
• 6 × 324 mm (12.8 in) Mark 32 torpedo tubes
• Mark 46 torpedoes
Career:
Name: USS Evans
Namesake: Ernest E. Evans
Builder: Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company
Laid down: 8 April 1955
Launched: 14 September 1955
Commissioned: 14 June 1957
Decommissioned: September 1968
Struck: 3 December 1973
Homeport: San Diego, California
Fate: Sold for scrapping 16 August 1974
Timeline:
April 1955: USS Evans’ keel laid down
September 1955: USS Evans launched
June 1957: USS Evans commissioned
June 1960: USS Evans deploys to the Taiwan Straits as part of Quemoy Matsu crisis
1966-67: USS Evans deploys to Gulf of Tonkin during Vietnam War
September 1968: USS Evans decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Evans:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Evans can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=2007
Van Van Eaton (served August 1966—June 1968): “What a magic time it was to serve on Evans under our Captain McDonnel, and my superiors, Chief Porter and Lt Clair – to and from Yankee Station. I have high respect for all of my shipmates.”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Evans
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=2007
http://www.destroyersonline.com/usndd/info/infde1023.htm
