BM3 HUBERT LEE BLANKENSHIP – 29 August 1950 to 1954

I Hubert Lee Blankenship “Red” was born 13 May 1932 at Covington, Tennessee. I had red hair and gray eyes. I enlisted in the U. S. Navy at Memphis, Tennessee in June 1950, and attended boot camp at
San Diego, California.

As a SA, I was received for duty on board USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) on 29August 1950 when I was assigned to the 1 Division. Over st time, I advanced to BM3.

I went on three cruises to Korea. That makes me a survivor!!

We were in Wonsan Harbor taking fire from those 8″ Russian tanks when we had to come out for the battle wagon, which went in but didn’t stay long. She said she was afraid she would run aground when she came out. We were still tied to the ammunition supply ship. The battle wagon made so big of a wave we had to untie before we were finished taking on ammo.

“Red” currently resides at 6849 Andrews Road, Barlett, TN 38135. You can reach him at home, 901-384-6801, or on his cell at 901-413- 1301.

MM2 THOMAS JAMES BENSON 6 February 1955-19 October 1957

Thomas James Benson was born 24 November 1936, at St. Paul, Minnesota. He had brown hair and blue eyes. Tom, sometimes called “Ben” or “Benny,” went to school in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

He got mad at his mother one day in May 1954 and enlisted in the Navy at St. Paul. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois. He was there one week and became ill with German measles. He spent two weeks in sickbay before he could start his basic training.

From boot camp, he went to Machinist’s Mate school. On 6 February 1955,he reported on board USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) where he served until 19 October 1957.

While aboard FRANK E. EVANS, Tom made two Westpac tours with the Seventh Fleet. He was on board 1n 1956 when FRANK E. EVANS went to Melbourne, Australia for the Olympics. Tom was there for Operation Wig Wam when an atomic depth charge was detonated off the San Diego coast.

When he was on watch, Tom would go see “Cookie” and get grub and cook down in the engine room. His best friend was Charles “Chuck” Heinz from South Carolina, who passed away a few years ago. Tom’s youngest son Neil graduated from Great Lakes boot camp exactly 40 years after Tom did. Tom’s oldest son Tom Jr. retired from the navy after 23 years. His second son, Paul, spent 13 years in the Army.

Tom passed away 19 October 2006, 48 years after being discharged from USS FRANK E EVANS DD-754.

Nancy Benson can be reached at 5742 Cabot Dr., Mounds View, MN 55112.

IC1 FRANCIS L. ANDERSON 24 September 1950 – 1951

I Francis L. Anderson “Andy” was born 24 July 1927 at Delta, Utah. I enlisted in the Navy at San Diego, California in November 1944 and went to boot camp at USNTC San Diego. I reported for duty on board USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) on 24 September 1950, reporting to R Division as an interior communications electrician where I maintained the gyro compass, telephone systems, DRT (Dead Reckoning Trace) etc.

Murrayite Promoted At MST MURRAY. A resident of Murray is starting out the new year in a new role with Mountain States Telephone Co.

He is Francis L. Anderson, 818 Willowood Ave., previously a supervising service foreman who has been appointed as the firm’s Utah plant supervisor. He replaces J. M. Burnett, who became a supervisor in the personnel department.

With the telephone company since 1951, Mr. Anderson has held several positions, including lineman, construction foreman, installer, central office repairman, central office foreman and instructor.

He was a manager of the Roosevelt exchange from August 1963 to July 1965. Since that time he has served as supervising service foreman.

A native of Delta, he attended high school at Spanish Fork. He is married to the former Lois Evalyn Hansen of Springville. The couple has three children, Kurt 17, Kristine 13, and Karalee 6.

“Andy” currently resides at 818 Willowood Ave., Murray, UT 84107. You can reach him
at 801-262-3703.

WT1c PAUL EUGENE WARD 3 February 1945

Paul Ward was assigned to USS FRANK E. EVANS DD 754 before she was commissioned and remained aboard until shortly after the end of the war. Paul Ward served in the U.S. Navy as a Boiler Tender from 1938 to 1945 and again during the Korean War.

ENS DONALD JOSEPH SIBBETT 3 February 1945

Radar Officer

I was aboard USS FRANK E EVANS DD 754 on 3 February 1945, the day she was commissioned. I’m what is known as a Plank Owner, being one of the crew on board the first time she was taken to sea. I was also aboard for her first Christmas and anniversary.

When I left FRANK E. EVANS in San Francisco, I flew east by a DC3, stopping every 500-mile increment. In the fall of ‘46 I entered Columbia grad school where I spent five happy years as a physical chemist. There followed 5 years at Mobil (South New Jersey), 2 years at Mellon Institute (Pittsburgh), 2 years at W. R. Grace (Baltimore), 11 years at Aerojet and Space General in Southern California, and 15 years running a lab for a beltway bandit (Geomet) in California and Maryland. In the middle, Elizabeth and I got married. We had two children.

I left the Naval Reserve in 1951 and was shocked at the report of USS FRANK E EVANS DD 754 sinking. As “Drucke” (LTJG Jack Arnold Druckemiller)has pointed out, the collision occurred at the bulkhead corresponding with our sleeping compartment. The loss of 74 members of the crew seems surprising considering the location of the ship outside the war zone and the exercise that were in progress.

Travel is not one of my aspirations. I have a kidney disorder (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis) and incipient bladder cancer. Both are under control but small stresses cause relapses. Current levels of airline comfort certainly qualify negatively.

I pass my time playing duplicate bridge, correspondence chess and bowling. Bets is very active in the local property owners association as treasurer and promoting reunions of her college.

(23 February 2002)

S2C VERN DALE ROBLING 3 February 1945

“My father, V. Dale Robling, went to college at Indiana University after his discharge and earned a BS degree in Accounting. He was the controller for Vincennes Steel for 37+ yrs. My father’s roots, like many his age started on a family farm. His father wanted his 5 kids (Keith-Houston, TX, Brian-Jasper, IN, Scott-Evansville, IN, Joy-Atlanta, GA, Jan-Easton, PA) to do something besides farming because of the hard, never ending work load with little pay. But after his father’s death, he took over the farm and ran it for his mother in his off hours and weekends. He also bought several farms himself and farmed them with the help of his kids. This was his stress relief from his real job.”

Deceased 15 September 2004

Brian Robling

“My name is Mike O’Brien and I remember….

The time spent at Norfolk was spent awaiting the day we would be sent to board the newly constructed Destroyer, USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754). I was aboard her 3 February 1945, the day she was commissioned. I remained aboard until I was discharged 2 June 1946.

I remember the smell of her…the paper still on the decks…getting seasick the first night aboard, while she was still tied up at the dock. I remember the shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and a later return to Bermuda before leaving for the Pacific. I remember learning of the death of President Franklin Roosevelt as we made our way through the Panama Canal, I remember leaving Guam…bound for Okinawa. I remember the terrible typhoon at Okinawa. I remember the radar picket duty between Okinawa and Japan while dealing with the last of the Kamikazes. I remember the experience of being so scared I can still taste it. I remember how beautiful San Francisco was in that first early morning sunlight we sailed into port. I remember watching (through binoculars) the attempted escape from Alcatraz, and the Marine Major who was eventually sent there to quell the escape attempt. One of the non-participants of that attempt was the Bird Man of Alcatraz…originally from my home town of Metropolis, Illinois (Home of Superman).

I am proud to have served in the Navy; to have been aboard USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754). I am so grateful that we had a nation filled with young patriots who rushed to join the armed forces. I weep with regularity at the horrors that so many of our comrades in arms suffered, at the horrendous loss of the families of the critically injured and dead. It is still horrifying to imagine the terror many of those young men had to endure. My time aboard EVANS was a picnic compared to so many others.”

RM3 Michael Louis O’Brien – 3 February 1945 – 2 June 1946

CDR WILLIAM C. MEYER 11 May 1949

CDR William C. Meyer served as USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) Commanding Officer from 11 May through 14 December 1949. He was promoted to Captain, USN, and was the commanding officer of USS RINGNESS (APD 100).

Shortly after retirement he joined Pan American Air Lines for some time and lived in Oakland, California.

ENS ARTHUR BARNETT MCCOMB (TAD) 22 February 1945

McComb aboard USS CONCORD (CL 10). ENS McComb served TAD aboard FRANK E. EVANS February – April 1945.

At Williams College, I Arthur Barnett McComb entered the USNR V-12 program in July 1943. Then came USNR Midshpman’s School at Notre Dame, Indiana, 6 June 1944 (D-Day) thru 10 August 1944, commissioning as ensign. I was an instructor in navigation at Notre Dame until September 1945, then Shore Patrol officer at Tientsin, China, from November 1945 to June 1946. (From my thought beginning, I knew my eye-sight wouldn’t let the Navy assign me to sea duty.

My first in-uniform taste of the sea was the temporary assignment to FRANK E. EVANS. My orders took me from South Bend to Norfolk, from where FRANK E. EVANS departed for Brooklyn. We were there for a week, including two days up Long Island Sound, around Montauk Point and back along the south shore.

Thence across the Gulf Stream alone to Bermuda, in real February – March weather. I soon learned ladder ascent-descent control from-to my quarters forward! My first and last dinner-chucking was one evening on that run. We spent a week in Bermuda, going out every day for sonar runs on a captive submarine, anchored in Great Bay every night, but there was no shore leave. (The V-Mail reminds me of the Italians who left us in Bermuda.

We then spent several days convoying 2-3 supply or auxiliary ships to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We operated from Gtmo, primarily anti-aircraft exercised, for probably three weeks. New Chevalier and other DDs were also there. I served observer duty several times on 44-mm platforms, and once on 20-mm right behind 5 inch turret No. 2–bang! Other times I was observer in CIC or on bridge, and once in the engine room. I stood JOOD watches. Of course the exec. had to keep bouncing me around to keep Washington and Notre Dame happy. We got shore liberty to Gtmo Officer’s Club and eventually back to Brooklyn, where I brought my girl on board one afternoon. Then the train to South Bend. (Oh yes: while FRANK E. EVANS was coming up the East River, the exec. saw me outside improperly uniformed, and had to order me out of sight and into proper dress.)

I recall two officers from FRANK E. EVANS: [1] CDR Harry Smith, our skipper, whom I thought a model skipper. I remember his occasional friendly disagreements with the signal officer, LT Julius Smith Young, at mess, the captain having had a tour of duty, which I believe involved revising the signal manual! [2] LT Bill Platt, former All-American football player at Yale, and easy to talk to. I was his JOD more than once when he was OOD.

(From the Aleutians, my brother Pete in CONCORD moved toward Japan and fired the Navy’s last shots of the was at the mainland.)

In the V-Mail, there is a reference to Ruth Lawrence, who became my fiancee later in 1945 (by long distance from China). We were married 5 September 1946, and are still (2007) married. We have two children of whom we are very proud: David, who sent you my FRANK E. EVANS contact, and daughter Jean Brannigan here in Poughkeepsie.

Combined with the V-Mail, this makes a lot more than I could contribute for you. It doesn’t raise the Navy’s morale by 10% this time, but I’ve enjoyed it. Please give Ruth’s and my good wishes to the FRANK E. EVANS shipmates at your forth coming reunion.

Arthur B. McComb
29 S. Randolph Ave.
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-5123

SM1c JAMES EDWARD LONG 3 February 1945

Plank holder, first anniversary, and first Christmas.