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Milo Burnell Evarts (3 September 1913 - 12 October 1942) was born in Ruthton, Minnesota and enlisted in the Naval Reserve 31 August 1940. He was commissioned as an ensign on 12 June 1941 . On the night of 11-12 October 1942, during the Battle of Cape Esperance, Lieutenant (junior grade) Evarts was killed in action when his ship USS Boise (CL-47) was damaged. Disregarding the danger of explosion from the fires which broke out in the gun turret of which he was in charge, Evarts stood to his station until killed. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his unyielding devotion to duty.
His Citation reads: The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Milo Burnell Evarts, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, U.S. Navy (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Number 2 Turret Officer on board the Light Cruiser USS Boise (CL-47), during action against enemy Japanese naval forces off Savo Island during the Battle of Cape Esperance on the night of 11 - 12 October 1942. When fire broke out in the turret and the danger of subsequent explosion grew increasingly imminent, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Evarts, with utter disregard for his own personal safety, stood bravely by his post while the flames were being extinguished by fire-fighting parties. Carrying on to the very last, he finally succumbed in the officers' booth, where his body was found with one hand still on the telephone. His courageous dedication to duty, maintained with unyielding determination to the very instant of his death, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the defense of his country.
USS Evarts DE-5 was the first ship named in his honor |
Bill Gonyo |
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97k |
One of the first Evarts type DE's, possibly the Evarts herself. In the early versions some of the equipment was missing - here, there is no twin Bofors or quadruple 1.1" mounting aft, only one Oerlikon forward of the bridge, and no radar. The welded hull sides show the usual rippling between the frames. [US Bureau of Ships photo, from the book "Allied Escort Ships of World War II (A Complete Survey)", by Peter Elliott] |
Edib Krlicbegovic,
Bosnia - Hercegovina |
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100k |
Evarts, the first USN DE and lead ship of the short-hull type. Although taken in 1944, she still has her quadruple 1.1" gun aft in place of the Bofors. There are two single Oerlikons on the quarterdeck, in a tub, and four of the eight depth charge throwers are angled 135 degrees aft from the ship's course to enlarge the pattern. [US Navy photo, from the book "Allied Escort Ships of World War II (A Complete Survey)", by Peter Elliott] |
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undated wartime image |
David Buell |
