RAYMOND EVANS (WPC-1110) SCHEDULED TO DOCK AT MALLORY SQUARE

On Monday, August 25^th, from 10:00-2:00 pm, the latest Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) WPC-1110 RAYMOND EVANS will dock at Mallory Square during training.  While docked, they will offer tours to the public.  The fast response cutter WPC-1110 RAYMOND EVANS is soon to be the fourth cutter to be commissioned in Key West, FL and is the namesake of the late Commander Raymond J. Evans.

Commander Raymond J. Evans, USCG (Ret.) enlisted in the Coast Guard on 18 September 1939 in Seattle and immediately volunteered for sea duty when offered the chance.  In the years prior to World War II new recruits were sometimes sent immediately to sea without attending boot camp if a local cutter needed crewmen.  Such was the case when CGC Spencer tied up in Seattle while en route from Valdez, Alaska, to Staten Island, New York.  Along with Evans, another local recruit named Douglas Munro also joined the Spencer.  They both struck for signalman and both later transferred to the Coast Guard-manned assault transport USS Hunter Liggett (APA-14).

During the war Evans saw extensive combat service, including participating in the attack on Guadalcanal, where both he and his shipmate, Douglas Munro, gained national acclaim for their heroic rescue operation that saved a Marine Corps unit that was trapped behind enemy lines.  Munro gave his life for his country that day and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.  Evans survived the mission and was awarded the Navy Cross.  Evans was commissioned in mid-1943 and continued his Coast Guard career after the war, retiring as a Commander in 1962.

During the war, in addition to his Navy Cross, he was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon with 1 battle star, a Commandant’s Letter, the American Defense Service Medal with one battle star, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with five battles stars, and the Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal, among others.

History regarding Commander Raymond Evans, Jr. provided by USCG  http://www.uscg.mil/history/people/bios/EvansR/EvansRay.asp.

Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/KeyWestNavyLeagueCommissioningCommittee or visit us at www.keywestnavyleaguecommissioning.org for more information regarding the upcoming commissioning’s.