USS Dixie (AD-14)
_underway_off_the_coast_of_southern_California_on_1_April_1976_(6392044).jpg) USS Dixie (AD-14) in 1976
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Dixie |
| Namesake | A collective designation for the southern states of the United States. |
| Builder | New York Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 17 March 1938 |
| Launched | 27 May 1939 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. A. C. Pickens |
| Commissioned | 25 April 1940 |
| Decommissioned | 15 June 1982 |
| Stricken | 15 June 1982 |
| Motto | Can Do |
| Honors and awards | 5 battle stars for Korean War service |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 17 February 1983 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Dixie-class destroyer tender |
| Displacement | 9,450 tons |
| Length | 530 ft 6 in (161.70 m) |
| Beam | 73 ft 3 in (22.33 m) |
| Draught | 24 ft 5 in (7.44 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam |
| Speed | 18 kts |
| Complement | 1262 |
| Armament | 4 x 5 in (130 mm) /38 cal |
The second USS Dixie (AD-14) was the first of
destroyers
in, or near, battle areas and to keep them fit for duty.
Dixie was launched on 27 May 1939 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Pickens; and commissioned on 25 April 1940.
History
World War II
Dixie sailed from
Mare Island Navy Yard
, and quickly took up the task of readying ships for war service. In March 1942 she returned to Pearl Harbor to tend destroyers and other ships of the Fleet until November.
_with_destroyers_off_Leyte_in_1945_(NH_905541).jpg)
Dixie alternated between
Okinawa and Shanghai
, then returned to the west coast in December 1945.
Post-World War II operations and Korean War
In the summer of 1946, Dixie sailed to
Communist advance forced the evacuation of Americans from the mainland. It would take 37 years before U.S. naval vessels would once again visit China when USS Rentz (FFG-46), USS Reeves (DLG-24) and USS Oldendorf (DD-972) visited Tsingtao as part of China's new open door policy
.
_with_DDs_ROK_PF_1950.jpeg)
Following her departure from China, she acted as
7th Fleet
.
Dixie received five
battle stars for Korean War
service.
Post-Korean War operations
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: history from 1959 to 1981. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020) |
From the early 1960s to 1982 Dixie was home-ported at
7th Fleet
. USS Dixie was home-ported out of San Diego, California 1969–1982 at least and was flagship for COMCRUSDESPAC usually tied up at pier 4.
Fate
In 1981, she was the first ship to be awarded the First Navy Jack as the ship with the longest active service in the Navy. Dixie was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 June 1982. She was sold for scrap 17 February 1983 and scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Dixie (AD-14).
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- navsource.org: USS Dixie (AD-14)