USS SLC..."Enlisted Navy"...Fred E. Evans, S2c, USN

Sadly Fred E. Evans passed away on Aug. 31st, 2018. Information from son Ted M. Evans

---

Obituary

Fred Ernest Evans “Pop”
Fred Ernest Evans – known as “Pop” by his sons and grandkids - of Fort Worth, Texas passed away on August 31, 2018 in Grapevine. He will always be remembered for his generosity and humor to all that knew and loved him. He was born on December 13, 1923 in Fort Worth to Eula and Bennie W. Evans. Fred served in the U.S. Navy during World War II on the “One ship fleet” USS Salt Lake City CA-25, which took part in more engagements than any other ship in the fleet. Fred worked at Bell Helicopter for 32 years and retired in 1984 to continue working on his own terms. Above all else, Fred loved and cherished his family dearly.

Fred is survived by his sons Ted and Tommy and his wife, Cindy, and grand-children Amanda, Jill, Tyler and Sarina, as well as sisters Ruby Sparks, Rosemary Ryno, and Shirley McClure, and brother Johnny. Also many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by wife, Faye, brothers Jack, Bennie, Harold and sister Polly. Fred dropped out of school to join the military at the age of 16, and was later granted an honorary diploma from the Fort Worth I.S.D. in 2001. The Funeral Service will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, September 6 at Gateway Church NRH, with a reception afterward. A private interment will follow at a later date at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth.

---

Sandy,

Hi, My name is Tommy Evans and my dad Fred E. Evans served on the USS Salt Lake City. Someday soon I'm going to sit down with him and videotape him talking about the war and the SLC. He's got some wonderful tales to tell! When we do, I'll send you a copy of the video.

Thanks for such a great site. I've looked in the past for information on the SLC but hadn't found anything very good. While I've only scratched the surface of your web site, I'm looking forward to spending more time there.

My dad also has a scrapbook of photos he took while on board the ship. I'll see if there are any good ones and, if so, I'll scan them and send them to you. He told me that he had two full duffel-bags of photos when he got off the ship but someone stole them from him - what a pity!

Thanks again.
Tommy Evans
and my dad, Fred Evans

---

MESSAGE FROM Veteran, Fred Evans
Dec. 9th, 1999

Sandy,

I have lost many, many mementos over the years. I had [2] sea bags full of souvenirs, pictures and etc. that were stolen from me in San Francisco when I returned to the States.

I was on the S.L.C. from Dec. 16, 1941 to Aug. 1944. I'm guessing at the dates as my discharge papers are my safe deposit box at my bank.

I was called "Baby" on the ship as I was the youngest and smallest man on the ship. We had 1400 on board in peace time. The normal crew size was 400.

As you probably know, the S.L.C. was the oldest and heaviest armed cruiser in the Pacific Fleet. In battle maneuvers the rudder would sometimes get stuck and we would be going in circles. The rest of the fleet would be forced to travel on without us. We would catch up when the rudder would "jar" loose.

Also, one of the shafts was "warped" and when we were at full steam we would have to turn the fire hose on it to cool it down and of course at the same time pump the water out of the "bilge's".

I hope this information has been of help to you and that you have learned from it.

The "Old" S.L.C. was without a doubt the "GREATEST SHIP" in its class to ever sail the Pacific

When I was dating the wonderful lady that became my wife, we were in the Worth Theater in here Ft. Worth, TX. and on the news part of the show it showed the S.L.C. being towed for target practice. It took [4] torpedoes to sink it.

I remember during the Battle of the Corral Sea we took a Jap torpedo and we hardly felt it. It didn't even cause it to leak.

This will be all for now... Maybe more later.

Think Best
My Best To You
Fred Evans