Navy destroyer to be named in honor of WWII Cmdr. Ernest Evans
- A DDG 51 Flight III Arleigh destroyer to be named in honor of Cmd. Evans
- He was the first Native American in the Navy to earn a Medal of Honor
- Evans commanded the USS Johnston until he died in 1944
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, will sponsor a DDG 51 Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that will be named after World War II hero Ernest E. Evans.
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(NewsNation) — A future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroy will bear the name of a World War II hero who was the first Native American in the Navy to earn a Medal of Honor.
A DDG 51 Flight III Arleigh guided-missile destroyer will be the second ship named in honor of Cmdr. Ernest E. Evans, who was killed during the Battle of Leyte Gulf near the Philippine Islands, the Navy said.
The Navy has not announced when the destroyer will be christened or if it is already under construction.
The destroyer escort vessel USS Evans, launched in 1955, was also named in his honor, according to the Navy. The Navy didn’t specify when that ship was decommissioned.
Navy Secretary Del Toro said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, will be the ship’s sponsor.
“As we honor Cmdr. Evans with this stunning vessel, we also honor the service of Indigenous servicemembers nationwide, past and present,” Haaland said in the statement.
Evans, of Cherokee and Creek heritage, was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma, on Aug. 13, 1908. He enlisted in the Navy in 1926, entered the U.S. Naval Academy a year later and graduated in 1931.
In 1941, Evans assumed command of the USS Johnston, serving as its only commanding officer. On Oct. 25, 1944, the destroyer sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf with Evans aboard.
Evan earned a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, among several other awards.