USS FRANK E. EVANS, (destroyer), was cut in two following a collision with HMAS MELBOURNE, (aircraft carrier), during exercises in the South China Sea. The bow section sank immediately, and 74 US sailors lost their lives. The stern section stayed afloat, and was later towed by a fleet tug USS Tawasa to Subic Bay. HMAS MELBOURNE sailed to Singapore for repairs, arriving on 6th June. This was the second collision involving MELBOURNE and an escorting destroyer in the space of five years.