Vietnam Vet Haunted By Mass Casualty Disaster | Full Interview

After being rejected by the Marine Corps due to an existing college football injury, Mike Jones enlisted in the United States Navy in 1967. Jones secured an aviation billet and was soon flying missions over Vietnam as a back-seater on an S-2E Tracker with VS-21.

On June 3, 1969, after returning from a routine mission, VS-21 was placed on alert and Jones witnessed the aftermath of a collision between two allied ships. The USS Frank E. Evans Association describes the event as follows:

“In the early morning hours of 3 June 1969, off the coast of Vietnam, USS Frank E Evans (DD 754) was steaming, in darkened condition, engaged in ‘Operation Sea Spirit’ with more than 40 ships of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) nations.

“In the act of taking a new station 1,000 yards astern of the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne (R21), the two ships were soon on a collision course. The Melbourne struck the Evans amidship cutting her in half. The forward section of Evans sank in 3 minutes. The stern section remained afloat. 74 Evans sailors were killed. Only 1 body was recovered. 73 Evans sailors were lost at sea, including 3 brothers from Niobrara, Nebraska: Gary 22, Greg 21 and Kelly Jo Sage 19.

“The 199 survivors boarded Melbourne and were soon transferred to the American aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge (CVS 33) and transported to Subic Bay, Philippines. A salvage party from the USS Everett F. Larson (DD 830) controlled flooding in the stern section before Evans was taken in tow to Subic Bay by fleet tug USS Tawasa (AFT 92).

“The aft section of Evans arrived in Subic Bay 9 June 1969 where she was put into floating dry dock USS Windsor (ARD 22) and stripped of valuable equipment. Evans was decommissioned 1 July 1969 and was struck from the Navy list the same day. On 10 October 1969 the stern section of Evans was towed out to sea and sunk in fleet target practice by USS John R. Craig (DD 885).

“The ‘Lost 74’ came from 28 states. Years ago, because their names are not included on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC the USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) Association decided to place a memorial stone, in their honor, in each of their home states. The shipmates, families and friends of the ‘Lost 74’ continue to fight for the recognition they deserve.”

🌎 Support the mission: https://www.patreon.com/TheVietnamExp...

🎤 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

📸 Get behind the scenes content on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevietname...

Chapters:
0:00 - Thought I Was Crazy
2:47 - Surveillance & Rescue Operations
3:57 - Mass Casualty Disaster
11:08 - Rough Welcome Home
12:52 - Reflections

Welcome to the largest YouTube channel exclusively dedicated to the Vietnam War. We strive to build a better future by learning from the past. All participants – and their military citations – have been vetted. For the sake of privacy, we do not share veteran contact information.

Do you know a Vietnam veteran, survivor or witness that should be interviewed? Send us an email at the address below.

[email protected]