The ''Melbourne''–''Evans'' collision was a collision between the
light aircraft carrier
A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one- ...
of the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN) and the
destroyer of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
(USN). On 3 June 1969, the two ships were participating in
SEATO
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, the Philipp ...
exercise Sea Spirit in the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
. Around 3:00 am, when ordered to a new escort station, ''Evans'' sailed under ''Melbourne''s bow, where she was cut in two. Seventy-four of ''Evans''s crew were killed.
A joint RAN–USN
board of inquiry
A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal commission in that ...
was held to establish the events of the collision and the responsibility of those involved. This inquiry, which was believed by the Australians to be biased against them, found that both ships were at fault for the collision. Four officers (the captains of ''Melbourne'' and ''Evans'', and the two junior officers in control of ''Evans'' at the time of the collision) were
court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of mem ...
led based on the results of the inquiry; while the three USN officers were found guilty, the RAN officer was cleared of wrongdoing.
Ships
HMAS ''Melbourne'' was the lead ship of the
''Majestic'' class of aircraft carriers. She was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one ...
for the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
on 15 April 1943, but construction was stopped at the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. She was sold to the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN) in 1948, along with
sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
, but was heavily upgraded while construction was completed and did not enter service until the end of 1955. In 1964, ''Melbourne'' was
involved in a collision with the Australian
destroyer , sinking the smaller ship and killing 81 of her crew and one civilian dockyard worker.
USS ''Frank E. Evans'' was an . She was laid down on 21 April 1944, and commissioned into the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
(USN) on 3 February 1945.
[Naval History Department, ''History of USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754)''.] She served in the Second World War, the
Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top: ...
, and the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, and had earned eleven
battle star
A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or se ...
s.
[
File:HMAS Melbourne (R21) leads USS Bennington (CVS-20) and HMS Ark Royal (R09) during the SEATO exercise Sea Devil in 1962.jpg, HMAS ''Melbourne''
File:USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) at sea, April 1963.jpg, USS ''Frank E. Evans''
]
Lead up
''Melbourne''s commanding officer during SEATO
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, the Philipp ...
's Sea Spirit exercise was Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
John Phillip Stevenson.[Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', p. 126.] Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...
John Crabb, the Flag Officer Commanding Australian Fleet, was also embarked on the carrier.[ During Sea Spirit, ''Melbourne'' was assigned five escorts: the US destroyers ''Frank E. Evans'', and , and the frigates HMNZS ''Blackpool'' and .][ Stevenson held a dinner for the five escort captains at the start of the exercise, during which he recounted the events of the ''Melbourne''–''Voyager'' collision, emphasised the need for caution when operating near the carrier, and provided written instructions on how to avoid such a situation developing again.][Hall, ''HMAS Melbourne'', p. 175.][ Additionally, during the lead-up to the exercise, Crabb had strongly warned that all repositioning manoeuvres performed by the escorts had to commence with a turn away from ''Melbourne''.][
Despite these warnings, a near-miss occurred in the early hours of 31 May when ''Larson'' turned towards the carrier after being ordered to the ]plane guard
A plane guard is a warship (commonly a destroyer or frigate) or helicopter tasked to recover the aircrew of planes or helicopters which ditch or crash in the water during aircraft carrier flight operations.
Ships
For ships, the plane guard i ...
station.[Hall, ''HMAS Melbourne'', p. 176.] Subsequent action narrowly prevented a collision.[ The escorts were again warned about the dangers of operating near the carrier and informed of Stevenson's expectations, while the minimum distance between carrier and escorts was increased from .][
]
Collision
On the night of 2–3 June 1969, ''Melbourne'' and her escorts were involved in antisubmarine
An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
training exercises.[Hills, ''Muddied Waters''] In preparation for launching a Grumman S-2 Tracker
The Grumman S-2 Tracker (S2F prior to 1962) was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed and initially built by Grumman, the Tracker was of conventiona ...
aircraft, Stevenson ordered ''Evans'' to the plane guard station, reminded the destroyer of ''Melbourne''s course, and instructed the carrier's navigation light
A navigation light, also known as a running or position light, is a source of illumination on a watercraft, aircraft or spacecraft, meant to give information on the craft's position, heading, or status. Some navigation lights are colour-coded ...
s to be brought to full brilliance.[Smith & Lancaster, ''USS Frank E. Evans'', p. 1.] This was the fourth time that ''Evans'' had been asked to assume this station that night, and the previous three manoeuvres had been without incident.[
''Evans'' was positioned on ''Melbourne''s ]port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...
bow, but began the manoeuvre by turning starboard, towards the carrier.[ A radio message was sent from ''Melbourne'' to ''Evans''s bridge and Combat Information Centre, warning the destroyer that she was on a collision course, which ''Evans'' acknowledged.][Hall, ''HMAS Melbourne'', p. 178.] Seeing the destroyer take no action and on a course to place herself under ''Melbourne''s bow, Stevenson ordered the carrier hard to port, signalling the turn by both radio and siren blasts.[ At approximately the same time, ''Evans'' turned hard to starboard to avoid the approaching carrier.][Sherbo, ''Death of a Destroyer''.] It is uncertain which ship began to manoeuvre first, but each ship's bridge crew claimed that they were informed of the other ship's turn after they commenced their own.[ After having narrowly passed in front of ''Melbourne'', the turns quickly placed ''Evans'' back in the carrier's path.][ ''Melbourne'' hit ''Evans'' amidships at 3:15 am, cutting the destroyer in two.][Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', p. 127.]
''Melbourne'' stopped immediately after the collision and deployed her boats, liferafts and lifebuoys, before carefully manoeuvring alongside the stern section of ''Evans''. Sailors from both ships used mooring lines to lash the two ships together, allowing ''Melbourne'' to evacuate the survivors in that section. ''Evans''s bow section sank quickly; the majority of those killed were believed to have been trapped within.[ Members of ''Melbourne''s crew dived into the water to rescue overboard survivors close to the carrier, while the carrier's boats and helicopters collected those farther out. Clothing, blankets and beer were provided to survivors from the carrier's stores, some RAN sailors offered their own uniforms, and the ship's band was instructed to set up on the flight deck to entertain and distract the USN personnel.][Smith & Lancaster, ''USS Frank E. Evans'', p. 2.] All of the survivors were located within twelve minutes of the collision and rescued before half an hour had passed, although the search continued for fifteen more hours.
Seventy-four of the 273 crew on ''Evans'' were killed.[ It was later learned that ''Evans''s commanding officer, ]Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...
Albert S. McLemore, was asleep in his quarters at the time of the incident, and charge of the vessel was held by Lieutenants
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Ronald Ramsey and James Hopson; the former had failed the qualification exam to stand watch, while the latter was at sea for the first time.[Hall, ''HMAS Melbourne'', p. 200.]
Post-collision events
Following the evacuation of ''Evans''s stern, the section was cast off while the carrier moved away to avoid damage, but against expectations it failed to sink.[Hall, ''HMAS Melbourne'', p. 185.] The stern was recovered and towed by fleet tug to Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Sub ...
, Philippines, arriving there on 9 June.[ After being stripped for parts, the hulk was decommissioned on 1 July, and was later sunk when used for target practice.][
''Melbourne'' travelled to Singapore, arriving on 6 June, where she received temporary repairs to her bow.][Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 312.] The carrier departed on 27 June and arrived in Sydney on 9 July, where she remained until November docked at Cockatoo Island Dockyard
The Cockatoo Island Dockyard was a major dockyard in Sydney, Australia, based on Cockatoo Island. The dockyard was established in 1857 to maintain Royal Navy warships. It later built and repaired military and battle ships, and played a key role ...
for repairs and installation of the new bow.[
]817 Squadron RAN
817 Squadron was a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron. It was originally formed as part of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm for service during World War II and took part in combat operations in Norway, North Africa, Sicily and off the c ...
, which was responsible for the Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34 (in US service known as Choctaw). It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main chang ...
helicopters embarked on ''Melbourne'' at the time of the collision, later received a USN Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...
for its rescue efforts. Five other decorations were presented to Australian personnel in relation to the rescue of ''Evans''s crew: one George Medal
The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...
, one Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, one Air Force Cross, and two British Empire Medal
The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...
s. Fifteen additional commendations for gallantry were awarded by the Australian Naval Board.[
]
Joint board of inquiry
A joint RAN–USN board of inquiry
A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal commission in that ...
was established to investigate the incident, following the passing of special regulations allowing the presence of Australian personnel at a US inquiry.[ The board was in session for over 100 hours between 9 June and 14 July, with 79 witnesses interviewed: 48 USN, 28 RAN, and three from other navies.
The board was made up of six officers. The RAN representatives were Rear Admiral David Stevenson (no relation to ''Melbourne''s Captain Stevenson), Captain Ken Shards, and Captain John Davidson.][Jo Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 56.] The USN officers were Captains S. L. Rusk and C. B. Anderson.[ Presiding over the board was USN Rear Admiral Jerome King, a posting that was controversial as he was the commanding officer of both the forces involved in Sea Spirit and the fleet unit to which ''Evans'' normally belonged, and was seen during the inquiry to be biased against Captain Stevenson and other RAN personnel.][ King's attitude, performance, and conflict of interest were criticised by the Australians present at the inquiry and the press, and his handling of the inquiry was seen as detrimental to ]Australia–United States relations
Australia and the United States are close allies, maintaining a robust relationship underpinned by shared democratic values, common interests, and cultural affinities. Economic, academic, and people-to-people ties are vibrant and strong. At the ...
.
Despite admissions by members of the USN, given privately to personnel in other navies, that the incident was entirely the fault of ''Evans'', significant attempts were made to reduce the US destroyer's culpability and place at least partial blame for the incident on ''Melbourne''.[Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', p. 128.] At the beginning of the inquiry, King banned one of the RAN legal advisers from attending, even as an observer.[Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 71.] He regularly intervened for American witnesses but failed to do so on similar matters for the Australians.[Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 85.] Testimony on the collision and the subsequent rescue operation was to be given separately, and although requests by American personnel to give both sets of testimony at the same time in order to return to their duties were regularly granted, the same request made by Stevenson was denied by King.[Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 95.] Testimony of members of the RAN had to be given under oath
Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to gi ...
, and witnesses faced intense questioning from King, despite the same conditions not applying to USN personnel.[Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 163.] There was also a heavy focus on the adequacy of ''Melbourne''s navigational lighting.[Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 136.] Mentions of the near miss with ''Larson'' were interrupted with the instruction that those details could be recounted at a later time, but the matter was never raised by the board.[
The unanimous decision of the board was that although ''Evans'' was partially at fault for the collision, ''Melbourne'' had contributed by not taking evasive action sooner, even though doing this would have been a direct contravention of international sea regulations, which stated that in the lead-up to a collision the larger ship was required to maintain course and speed. The report was inconsistent in several areas with the evidence given at the inquiry, including the falsity that ''Melbourne''s navigational lights took significant time to come to full brilliance. Several facts were also edited out of the transcripts of the inquiry.
]
Courts-martial
Stevenson
Stevenson was informed on 29 July of the result, although not the details, and was told that a court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of mem ...
charging him for his role in the incident might be required.[Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 174.] Two charges of negligence
Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as ...
—for failing to explicitly instruct ''Evans'' to change course to avoid collision and for failing to set ''Melbourne''s engines to full astern—were laid on 15 August, with the court-martial held from 20 to 25 August.[ Evidence presented during the hearing showed that going full astern would have made no difference to the collision, and on the matter of the failing-to-instruct charge the presiding ]Judge Advocate
Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions.
Australia
The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that provi ...
concluded that reasonable warning had been given to the destroyer and asked, "What was tevensonsupposed to do—turn his guns on them?".[ Of the evidence and testimony given at the court-martial, nothing suggested that Stevenson had done anything wrong; instead it was claimed that he had done everything reasonable to avoid collision, and had done it correctly.][Stevenson, ''In The Wake'', p. 191.]
The reasons for the court-martial given by historians vary. One reason suggested was that it was to appease the USN, which had court-martialled three officers from ''Evans'' and had threatened to prevent US ships from operating as part of Australian-led forces if no action was taken against Stevenson.[ The other view is that the court-martial was used in an attempt to clear Stevenson's name and to allow the RAN to distance itself from the findings of the joint board of inquiry.][
Stevenson's ]defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
submitted that there was "no case to answer", resulting in the dropping of both charges, and the verdict of "Honourably Acquitted".[Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', p. 129.] Despite the findings, Stevenson's next posting was as chief of staff to a minor flag officer; seen by him as a demotion
A demotion is a compulsory reduction in an employee's rank or job title within the organizational hierarchy of a company, public service department, or other body. A demotion may also lead to the loss of other privileges associated with a more se ...
in all but name.[ The posting had been decided upon before the court-martial and was announced while Stevenson was out of the country for the courts-martial of ''Evans''s officers; he did not learn about it until his return to Australia. Following the events—publicly considered to be another ]scapegoat
In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designat ...
ing of a commanding officer of ''Melbourne'' (the first enquiry into the ''Melbourne''-''Voyager'' collision had laid significant blame on Captain John Robertson, the ship's commanding officer at the time)—Stevenson requested retirement, as he no longer wished to serve under people he no longer respected.[Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', pp. 130–131.] This retirement was initially denied, but was later permitted.[
]
McLemore, Ramsey and Hopson
Commander Albert S. McLemore and Lieutenants Hopson and Ramsey also faced courts-martial for their contributions to the collision. Hopson and Ramsey both pleaded guilty to charges of dereliction of duty
Dereliction of duty is a specific offense under United States Code Title 10, Section 892, Article 92 and applies to all branches of the US military. A service member who is derelict has willfully refused to perform his duties (or follow a given o ...
and negligence, and had their positions in the promotion list moved down.[Frame, ''No Pleasure Cruise'', p. 244.] McLemore, who pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, was found guilty of dereliction of duty and negligently hazarding his ship.[Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', p. 130.][ The formal reprimand effectively ended his naval career.][
In 1999, McLemore publicly accepted that the collision was his responsibility, as he had left two inexperienced officers with the con of his ship.
]
Aftermath
A training film, ''I Relieve You, Sir'', was developed by the USN for junior watchkeeping officers.[ Based on the events of the collision, the film demonstrates the responsibility junior watchkeeping officers hold, and the potential consequences of failing to do their job.
Unlike other naval casualties during the ]Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the names of the 74 ''Evans'' crew killed are not inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of thos ...
.[Prados, ''A Forgotten Tragedy''.] Despite operating in Vietnamese waters immediately before deployment to Sea Spirit, and being scheduled to return to activities supporting the war effort after the exercise, it was determined that as Sea Spirit was not directly linked with US operations in Vietnam, and the exercise took place outside the geographical limit for the conflict as defined by the outer edge of Market Time
Operation Market Time was the United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Navy and Royal Australian Navy operation begun in 1965 to stop the flow of troops, war material, and supplies by sea, coast, and rivers, from North Vietnam into parts of Sout ...
operations, the crew was ineligible for inclusion on 'The Wall'.[ Exceptions to the geographic limit rule have been made for other personnel killed as part of the conflict but not in Vietnam itself; for example those involved in operations in Laos, and those dying in transit to or from Vietnam.][ However, an act of ]Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
specifically permitting the inclusion of their names on the memorial is required: legislation to have those killed in the ''Melbourne''–''Evans'' collision has been introduced on several occasions, but has so far failed to gather sufficient support.[
A memorial to the collision is located in ]Niobara
Niobrara (; Omaha: ''Ní Ubthátha'' ''Tʰáⁿwaⁿgthaⁿ'' , meaning "water spread-out village")Dorsey, James Owen (1890)''The Cegiha Language: Contributions to North American Ethnology'' 4. Washington: US Department of the Interior: Governmen ...
, Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...
, United States.[ The memorial specifically commemorates the three Sage brothers, all of whom were aboard ''Evans'' and were killed in the collision.][ They were the first group of siblings permitted to serve on the same ship since the Second World War, a result of the policy introduced when the five ]Sullivan brothers
The five Sullivan brothers were World War II sailor brothers of Irish American descent who, serving together on the light cruiser , were all killed in action during and shortly after its sinking around November 13, 1942.
The five brothers, ...
were killed following the sinking of .[ Collision survivors and family members of ''Evans'' personnel have held annual reunions to memorialise the accident. Australian sailors who served on ''Melbourne'' often attend.
]
A second memorial was erected on the grounds of Warren Cemetery in Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee ( ) is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020 census. It borders the city of Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within the Chicago metropolitan area.
Best known for being t ...
. On a large tablet, it lists the names of all 74 crew members killed aboard the Frank E. Evans. A smaller tablet with the names of the 3 crew members from Illinois inscribed on the back, and it is one of the sites where an annual memorial service takes place on June 3rd every year. Survivors and family members typically attend, along with members of the public and local officials.
In December 2012, Stevenson announced that his son had received a letter from the Australian Minister for Defence
The Minister for Defence is the principal minister responsible for the organisation, implementation, and formulation of government policy in defence and military matters for the Australian Government. The individual who holds this office directs ...
, Stephen Smith, saying that he was "not treated fairly" by the government of the day and by the RAN. It also said, "Your father was a distinguished naval officer who served his country with honour in peace and war ... Should your father have continued his naval career, the Chief of Navy advises me that he would undoubtedly have been competitive for flag rank."[Official apology for HMAS Melbourne captain](_blank)
Peter Lloyd and Hayden Cooper, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
's PM and ABC News Online
ABC News, or ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting within Australia and the rest of the world, the service covers both local and world affairs.
The division of ...
, 6 December 2012, accessed 7 December 2012. Stevenson also said that he was supported throughout his ordeal by his wife, who had died just five months before the letter arrived.
In March 2014, retired RAN officer David Ferry, in writing about the ''Melbourne''-''Voyager'' collision, included a section on related ''Melbourne''-''Evans'' experience and some aspects of its joint board of inquiry.
In September 2014 American journalist Louise Esola published ''American Boys: The True Story of the Lost 74 of the Vietnam War'', which chronicles the lives of the 74 men killed on the USS ''Frank E. Evans'' and the efforts by survivors and families to have the men memorialized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Citations
References
Books
*
*
*
* (Author Jo Stevenson was the wife of Captain John Phillip Stevenson, the Commanding Officer of ''Melbourne'' at the time of the collision)
*
Newspaper and journal articles
*
*
*
*
*
Websites
*
External links
''I Relieve You Sir''
– the training documentary produced by the United States Navy in 1975, based on the incident.
– transcript of an ABC ''7.30 Report
''The 7.30 Report'' is an Australian week-nightly television current affairs program, which was shown on ABC1 and ABC News 24 at from 1986 to 2011. In 2011, it evolved into ''7.30'', a revamped current affairs program.
History
''The 7.30 Report ...
'' story on the 30th anniversary of the collision, aired 6 February 1999.
* – Nebraska State Historical Society webpage for the three Sage brothers killed in the collision.
USS ''Frank E. Evans'' DD 754 – The Photos
includes ship's crew stories.
HistoryNet: Originally published by ''Vietnam'' magazine. Published online: 12 June 2006.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melbourne-Evans Collision
Non-combat naval accidents
Maritime incidents in 1969
1969 in the United States
1969 in Australia
Military history of Australia
Royal Australian Navy
United States Navy in the 20th century
Australia–United States military relations
Events that led to courts-martial