On 3 June 1969, having just completed a long tour of shore bombardment off the coast of Vietnam, USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) was operating with a multinational South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) task force of approximately 40 ships in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam, led by the Task Force Leader, HMAS MELBOURNE, an Australian aircraft carrier, in a “Show of Force” demonstration to the North Vietnamese.

At approximately 0315 that dark morning during a change of station maneuver, FRANK E.EVANS and MELBOURNE were involved in a catastrophic collision. HMAS MELBOURNE struck USS FRANK E. EVANS amidships cutting her in half. Within minutes the forward half rolled to starboard and sank, taking with her 74 brave souls. A total of 37 sailors on the forward section managed to escape and survive. On that fateful morning, three Sage brothers from Niobrara, Nebraska were lost. Senior Chief Gunners mate and Boiler Tender Reilly, father and son serving together aboard FRANK E. EVANS, the father survived but the son was lost.

Subsequent investigations placed fault of the collision primarily with FRANK E. EVANS. The important fact of that fateful night was the demonstration of bravery and comradeship by the sailors of both FRANK E. EVANS and MELBOURNE. Had it not been for the courageous action of MELBOURNE’s sailors, many more lives would have been lost.

There exists perhaps even a greater tragedy than the collision itself. That is, what for the most part, a lack of acknowledgment on the part of the U. S. Navy and the Department of Defense for the sacrifice these men, their parents, and loved ones have made. Even though FRANK E. EVANS had just completed an extended tour of shore bombardment off the Vietnam coast, and even though she was part of a SEATO Task Force making a “show of force” demonstration to the North Vietnamese, her sailors’ names are not on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington D.C. Drawing an arbitrary line in the water should not be the deciding factor when determining the Lost 74 made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country in the Vietnam War.