John E. Evans

The Navy Cross is awarded to Chief Boatswain’s Mate John E. Evans, U.S. Navy, for extraordinary heroism upon the occasion of a fire on board the SC-59 at the navy yard, New York, on September 17, 1918. Two depth bombs were in the Y-guns and six more on the after deck. The fire was very violent, the flames reaching as high as the masthead. Chief Boatswain’s Mate Evans, with three others went on board without orders and removed the bombs from the Y guns, these bombs being so hot at the time that the paint on them was blistered.