US naval officer, born in Floyd Court House, Virginia, USA. He was commander of the Atlantic Fleet (19057), and commanded the first segment of the round-the-world cruise of the American battle fleet (19078).
Rear Admiral Robley Dunglison Evans (18 August 1846 - 3 January 1912), commanded the U.S. Navy's "Great White Fleet" on its world-wide cruise of 1907-1908.
Born in Floyd County, Virginia, Evans was a member of the Naval Academy class of 1864.
Evans held numerous important sea commands during the 1890s.
During the Spanish-American War he commanded the battleship Iowa in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. Rear Admiral Evans commanded the Great White Fleet in its passage in 1907 and 1908 from the Atlantic through the Straits of Magellan to the Pacific, where he was relieved of command because of ill health.
Two destroyers, USS Evans (DD-78) and USS Evans (DD-552), were named in his honor.
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
User Comments Add a comment…