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Seventy-four American sailors lost their lives when the HMAS Melbourne sliced the USS Evans in half. I only heard of this incident this morning and found this video detailing the incident. What makes this event of current interest is the fact that there is a proposal to include the names of these sailors on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington. Although the accident occurred in the South China Sea it was not part of any operation connected with the Vietnam War. It was a SEATO exercise including a British naval unit and I'm not familiar with any British participation in the Vietnam War. This would seem to me to disqualify it for inclusion in the Vietnam War Memorial (although I hope that their sacrifice is memorialized appropriately elsewhere). Can anyone provide any information that would support this proposal?
Posted in these groups: 
Vietnam War
Vietnam War
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 8
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More information...
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/05/25/survivor-of-uss-frank-e-evans-disaster-that-killed-son-dies-at-93/
Definitely was outside the area of operations, but they supported the ground ops in Vietnam weeks before...perhaps they are basing it on that.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/05/25/survivor-of-uss-frank-e-evans-disaster-that-killed-son-dies-at-93/
Definitely was outside the area of operations, but they supported the ground ops in Vietnam weeks before...perhaps they are basing it on that.
Survivor of USS Frank E. Evans disaster that killed son dies at 93
Lawrence Reilly Sr. barely survived the 1969 collision that sent half of the USS Frank E. Evans to the bottom of the South China Sea with his namesake son and 73 other shipmates trapped inside. The father spent the last years of his life unsuccessfully trying to convince the Pentagon to add those 74 names to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
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SSgt Terry P.
Lt Col Charlie Brown - In this line,Ma'am,it seems they would have to include all those who died from AO by contact during VN. IMO ,that would be a fallacy.
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Not to make light of the story, I'd heard it before, however, aside from.just the sheer logic that they were apparently in the basic region of the theatre generally, purely as a notion, I don't suPpose, in all seriousnss, that Australia was involved of course, and Australia is.part of the British Commonwealth, or most likely was at that time, I think they're still part of it now, though I'm unsure, might perhaps lend any credence to the notion of including them all in the Wall? Obviously, it's just an idea, of course, I completely realize, as you say, it was a SEATO thing, I get that, however, I'm just trying to provide some.logic for such inclusion, even though I realize it's likely grasping at straws, of course....
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Capt Daniel Goodman
As I'd said, probably that whole notion is likely a nonstarter, I suppose, I just figured to.mention it, as it'd just occurred to me....
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CPT Jack Durish
Australia became an independent nation in 1901 and participated as an independent nation in the Vietnam War. Australia was extremely happy when the US showed up to stop the spread of communism so close to their shores. Although Vietnam ultimately fell to the communists after the Democratically controlled US Congress reneged on its deal to support South Vietnam, the communists had been stopped in Thailand, Indonesia, and other places in Southeast Asia and had expended themselves thus leaving Australia safe from their encroachment. As a commonwealth nation, they are a constitutional monarchy owing allegiance to the British crown, but that is more ceremonial than anything.
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Capt Daniel Goodman
I figured...as I'd said, I figured it'd be a Hofstadter idea, just an odd, fleeting thought....
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Capt Daniel Goodman
I was also aware of their independence, though not exactly when...I'd just figured, given recent stuff I'd seen on Australian war heroes getting UP decorations lately, maybe it was worth mentioning, at any rate, though I'd expected it wouldn't go anywhere as an idea....
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CPT Jack Durish Unless there is some other information this would seem inappropriate.
Many other casualties were incurred during this era and the Wall is a memorial to only those who participated in Vietnam directly to my knowledge.
Many other casualties were incurred during this era and the Wall is a memorial to only those who participated in Vietnam directly to my knowledge.
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