AHOY SHIPMATES, FAMILY & FRIENDS

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1 AHOY SHIPMATES, FAMILY & FRIENDS It is hard to believe that half of 2018 is almost behind us. The reunion in Rapid City will be here before we know it. All arrangements have been finalized and the reunion package will be following this news letter in a few weeks. We will be conducting tours to Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Ellsworth AFB. Rapid City and the surrounding area is a great place to visit, make your plans to join us in October. The fight goes on with respect to getting the names on the Vietnam Memorial wall the good news, we have picked up more Senate and Congressional support in the last few months. Special thanks goes out to Dick Grant for getting Senator John Hoeven and Congressman Kevin Cramer s involvement from North Dakota. House Bill 5989 was introduced by Congressman Cramer directing the Secretary of Defense to have the names of the 74 crew members of USS Frank E. Evans placed on the wall. Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas has signed on as cosponsor. We are requesting you contact your congressman and request they co-sponsor the bill too. We are expecting a companion bill to be introduced in the senate soon, it would not hurt to contact your senators too. Several members report they have been contacted by their local news media requesting information about USS Frank E. Evans. We are hoping the national news media will pick up on local stories and carry them nation wide. Dedication of HMC Charles E. Cannington s Memorial Stone will take place on 3 June 2018 at 1400 hours. The location is the Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida. We anticipate setting and dedicating at least 4 more memorials later this year. Wishing You the Best Always Steve Kraus Del Francis 1

2 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Welcome and warm wishes to all new members. Interested in joining? Contact Donna Kraus at or or go to our website NAME RELATIONSHIP CITY/STATE James Anderson Friend of Bob & Dixie Mason Ligonia, IN Rebecca Gutierrez Son of Terry & Sue Vejr Portland, OR Richard Morgan RM (S) Baton Rouge, LA Alyssa Prentiss Granddaughter Ed Holsopple Clemmons, NC Tony Smith Crew HMAS Melbourne Pakenham, Aus. James Sousa Friend of Wendy Burke Roseville, CA Jeffery Vejr Son of Terry & Sue Vejr Portland, OR IN MEMORIAM O Lord deliver my soul: Oh save me for thy mercies sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In the grave who shall give thee thanks? Psalms NAME RANK SERVICE CITY/STATE DECEASED Irving Neubauer LTJG 51 Stevensville, MI Feb 21, 2017 Richard Burke FTG3 69 (S) Prescott, AZ Jan 10, 2018 Gilbert Rose YN Smithfield, NC Sept 30, 2017 Emmett Tidd LTJG Annapolis, MD Mar 20, 2018 IN MEMORIAM RELATIVES NAME RELATIONSHIP CITY/STATE DECEASED Frances B. Box Mother of RD3 Thomas B. Box Athens, AL Feb 19,

3 FROM OUR CHAPLIN By His Grace Chaplain Al Collins We must be united in Brotherhood before God, our Commander-in- Chief. His Word is our marching orders. He says, Be still, and know that I am God;. Psalm 46:10.God works through the present and willing, not the absent and able. He does not call the qualified, He quality's those that He calls! My Grace is all you need, My Power works best in your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 It appears good to the Holy Spirit that I have committed to Almighty God. And His Command is that I reach out to others to enlist them into God s Army. Then: Forward! March! To the front lines, knowing He always is with me. The LORD is with me like a mighty warrior. Jeremiah 20:11 I am a soldier with Spiritual Armor. His Words are my daily marching orders. Will You March with me and be obedient to His Orders??? And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His Purpose. Romans 8:28 Our organization is not an aged graveyard, it is a battle ready army! He recruited me to follow His Orders for my life. I attended His Boot Camp and He qualified, taught and suited me in His battle armor. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your Spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11 We make every effort to come alongside others within our organization who suffer disease, sickness or in loss of life. We reach out through prayer with sympathy. God knows the love we harbor in our hearts. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Psalm 55:17 Don t think about it, pray about it. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. This will be a lifetime commitment, not a faint effort. I walk by the patch you have seen on my flight jacket with 24 amid a flame. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously, it must not go out. Leviticus 6:13 Who will Man up? Who shall enlist? Who will say take me? You have access to me around the clock. Many of us did not hesitate when Uncle Sam said I Want You. Now our Lord is calling! Come before our Lord with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me! Isaiah 6:8 If any should ask why, the answer is always in His Word! for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 3

4 PICTURES FROM THE PAST 4

5 MORE PICTURES FROM THE PAST 5

6 PICTURES FROM THE PRESENT CONTIUED 6

7 PICTURES FROM THE PRESENT 7

8 Pictures FROM THE PRESENT CONTINUED VISIT FROM BOB & CHRIS WINSTON In July 2017, Donna and I were fortunate to meet up with Bob & Chris Winston in San Diego, California. Bob and Chris were on an extended Pacific Rim Cruise that brought them to San Diego. We spent the day with them and had the opportunity to catch up since we had not seen them since the reunion in San Diego in Since they had already seen the sights in and around San Diego we just walked around Seaport Village and took a drive out to the Point Loma Light house. Their next visit will be for the 50th Anniversary Reunion in Long Beach, May 30 June 3,

9 STORIES FROM THE PAST Henry Z. Kahn, was born July 18, 1922, in Weilheim, Germany. He came to the US as a 13 year old in 1936, fleeing the Holocaust in Germany. A retired sailor, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the Second World War, and reenlisted to fight in the Pacific in the Korean War aboard the destroyer USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD754) as a Ship Serviceman first class, and remained a reservist for many years. Henry graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering on the GI Bill and worked as an Aerospace Engineer with Ladish Company. Henry was active in the USO, B'nai B'rith, and in many charitable and social causes, winning recognition from the Mayor of Los Angeles as "Man of The Year" in He made pilgrimages to his homeland Germany twice and to the Jewish homeland Israel once. In 2005, Henry attended the USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) Association reunion at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 9

10 FEELINGS STILL STRONG AFTER 49 YEARS Fred Rubly sent this letter to Patrick Ericsson regarding his story about the Evans/Melbourne incident 26 February, 2018 Hello Patrick, My name is Fred Rubly and I was a crew member on board H.M.A.S Melbourne, the Royal Australian Navy aircraft carrier that collided with the USS Evans on June 3 rd, I joined the Melbourne in 1969 as senior Petty Officer in charge of the avionics section of 816 Squadron, comprising Grumman S2E Tracker antisubmarine aircraft. We had been exercising hard all day, working at Action Stations, or at full Damage Control State 1 to simulate working under wartime conditions. As the evening evolved, we continued our night flying programme launching and recovering aircraft. At midnight, I secured our duty watch, briefed the relieving crew and handed over control to my subordinate Petty Officer. I went below, had a snack and coffee in the galley and made my way to 3 Alpha Aft Starboard, my accommodation mess. To the uninitiated, this coding simply meant my mess was located on 3 deck, 1 compartment back from the bow and on the right of the ship s centre line. It seemed I had only just got to sleep when the PA system piped Hands to Collision Stations, Hands to Collision Stations, Hands to Collision Stations: This is not an Exercise. Moments later I felt the ship impact something solid, it seemed to stagger up two or three steps, then saw its way down again. The sound of screeching, tearing metal was followed by the smell of hot oil, wet steam and an even stronger smell similar to that found in a welding shop. I jumped into my overalls and nearly fell over running for the door as I did not notice that our floor had buckled under the impact. Our mess door was jammed shut, the door frame also being buckled, and there was a large gash in the ship side. Fortunately, the mess door had a kick-out panel but I can t recall kicking it out or some-one else doing so. I ran up 1 deck to the foc sle or anchor deck where there were 3 or 4 others standing, and found it littered with debris. From the Port (left) side, I saw the Evans Bow section some 50 to 75 yard away. It was illuminated, and sitting on the very tip of the bow was a sailor. Flight deck personnel were shouting for him to jump but he either did not hear or was too confused to save himself. He was still sitting there as the bow sank. Even more disturbing was a partly open forward hatch with arms frantically waving and trying to open it. It took around 3 minutes for the bow to sink and I watched it for about 2 of those 3 minutes. By this time the ship s helicopters were airborne and searching for survivors, and I needed to check on my crew in the avionics workshop (on 4 deck) and squadron muster point. 10

11 FEELINGS STILL STRONG AFTER 49 YEARS CONT. As I emerged on the starboard (right) weather deck (4 deck), I saw after section of the hull some 20 or so feet away drifting past me at walking pace. It looked quite intact except where the hull had been savagely severed just aft of the bridge. It was in our ship s shadow but visible enough to see torn, jagged metal, hear the hiss of escaping steam from torn pipes, and see arcing and sparking from live circuits. There were no lights, no signs of life and eerily quiet. For a moment I thought it was about to explode! I felt a strong urge to jump over the side, board the Evans to render assistance, and looked for support but could not believe there was not one crew member around me on this deck, so I continued to walk, keeping pace with the drifting, silent ship. I had been taught to work in a buddy system when in tricky situations, so if anything went wrong, your buddy was there to help or could tell someone what happened. I hesitated, not knowing what to do. I had no torch, no-one to call out to, I couldn t see any life-saving equipment. My hand was on the rail, and I had the urge to jump in the water to see if I could help. My mind raced as I hesitated there was there twisted metal under the water where I was going to jump? How could I On reflection, I suggest that both ships were extremely fortunate to have collided when they did. That is, the Melbourne hit the Evans bridge dead centre. If I assume the Evans to be at 18 knots, then she is moving around 30 feet per second. Had impact occurred 3 seconds earlier, the Evans would have ploughed into our mess and ruptured the Avgas fuelling point just below the flight deck (Avgas is more volatile than gasoline). Hitting the bridge just one second before or after the actual collision and the Melbourne would have smashed into either the Evans forward or after magazine, with the very real possibility of losing both ships. I carried the guilt of not boarding the Evans for 41 years, and this guilt was finally put to rest at the 2010 San Diego reunion. Thank you Steve Kraus for encouraging me to open-up about it. I trust that my account can assist in completing the story of the Melbourne/ Evans incident. Greetings to all my shipmates, Yours aye, Fred Rubly. OUR AUSTRALIAN SUPPORT CONTINUES TO GROW STRONGER EACH DAY...BRAVO ZULU TO THOSE DOWN UNDER!!! 11

12 USS FRANK E. EVANS ASSOCIATION 2286 MORGAN RD CARLSBAD, CA Created by the talent of our Shipmates, Members and Friends LEST WE FORGET OUR LOST 74" EARNED THEIR PLACE ON THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL 12