Long Beach to Host Memorial Day Commemoration Honoring USS Frank E. Evans and the Lost 74

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PRESS RELEASE

Above: United States Navy Band perform during the 2024 Long Beach Memorial Day Sunset Ceremony at the Shoreline Aquatic Park Navy Memorial.

Long Beach, CA - For the second consecutive year, the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Office of Veterans Support, in collaboration with the USS Frank E. Evans Association, will host a Memorial Day commemoration, "Let Us Remember: Celebrating Our Long Beach Heroes,"on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

"Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the courage and sacrifice of those who served our country," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "By bringing the community together to honor the 'Lost 74,' we not only preserve their legacy, but also support the veterans and families who continue to carry their memory forward."

The free, family-friendly event will observe and pay tribute to Memorial Day, honor the 74 sailors-known as the Lost 74 -who perished aboard the USS Frank E. Evans on June 3, 1969, and celebrate Long Beach's rich naval history. The ceremony will take place at the Navy Memorial in Shoreline Aquatic Park, where plaques commemorating the Lost 74 are located.

The program will feature ceremonial tributes led by survivors and families, including a bell ceremony with the reading of fallen sailors' names, a wreath-laying and a water cannon salute by a Long Beach Fire Department fireboat. Attendees will include survivors and families traveling from across the country. The program will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. with a wreath-laying ceremony.

"For the families and shipmates of the USS Frank E. Evans, remembrance is deeply personal," said First District Councilwoman Mary Zendejas. "This ceremony ensures that the 74 sailors we lost are never forgotten and that future generations understand the cost of service and sacrifice."

The USS Frank E. Evans, which was homeported in Long Beach, departed in May 1969. On June 3 of that year, the ship was involved in a tragic collision with an Australian aircraft carrier in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam, resulting in the loss of 74 sailors.

In the years following the tragedy, survivors and families formed the USS Frank E. Evans Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the fallen. The association recently supported the designation of the interchange at State Route 710 and Pacific Coast Highway as the USS Frank E. Evans Memorial Interchange, approved through California Senate Concurrent Resolution 143 and sponsored by State Senator Lena Gonzalez. Memorial signage will be installed later this year.

Lead sponsorship of the event is provided by the Port of Long Beach.

For more information, visit longbeach.gov/veterans.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. More information about the Long Beach Health Department is available at longbeach.gov/health and on Instagram, Facebook and X.

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