_underway_off_the_coast_of_southern_California_on_1_April_1976_(6392044).jpg) USSDixie (AD-14) in 1976 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSDixie |
| 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 | 5battle stars forKorean War service |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 17 February 1983 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Dixie-classdestroyer 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 x5 in (130 mm)/38 cal |
The secondUSSDixie (AD-14) was the first ofdestroyer tendersclass built for theUnited States Navy just before the start of theSecond World War. Her objective was to assistdestroyers within the vicinities ofareas of engagement and to maintain them service-worthy.
Dixie was launched on 27 May 1939 byNew York Shipbuilding Corporation inCamden, New Jersey, sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Pickens; and commissioned on 25 April 1940.[1]
Dixie sailed fromNorfolk, Virginia, on 20 June 1940 forPearl Harbor to serve thedestroyers of theBattle Force until October, when she cleared for the West Coast and similar operations atSan Diego, California. When the Japanese attackedPearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, she was undergoingoverhaul atMare 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 betweenNouméa andEspiritu Santo in support of the operations in theSolomons from November 1942 to March 1944, then went to the Solomons where she was based atHathorn Sound. In November she arrived at the huge fleet base atUlithi, serving there until March 1945. Her essential services were next given atSan Pedro Bay,Leyte, whereDixie remained until the end of the war. She served ships onoccupation duty atOkinawa andShanghai, then returned to the west coast in December 1945.[2]
In the summer of 1946,Dixie sailed toBikini Atoll foratomic weapons experiments,Operation Crossroads. In 1947 and in 1949 she cruised to theFar East and was based atTsingtao to serve destroyers on patrol off theChinese coast.Dixie was the last U.S. vessel to leave China when theCommunist advance forced the evacuation of Americans from the mainland. It would take 37 years before U.S. naval vessels would once again visit China whenUSS Rentz (FFG-46),USS Reeves (DLG-24) andUSS Oldendorf (DD-972) visited Tsingtao as part of China's newopen door policy.[3]
_with_DDs_ROK_PF_1950.jpeg)
Following her departure from China, she acted asheadquarters for the Americanconsul andchargé d'affaires atHong Kong. She continued her active service alternatingflagship duty for Commander,Cruiser Destroyer Force,Pacific Fleet, at San Diego, with tours in the Far East, based onSasebo, Japan, orSubic Bay,Philippine Islands. During two of thesewestern Pacific tours, she rendered valuable assistance to the ships of theUnited Nations operating offKorea. In 1959 and again in 1960, in addition to serving at San Diego, she sailed to the Far East to provide tender facilities for the7th Fleet.[2]
Dixie received fivebattle stars forKorean War service.
From the early 1960s to 1982Dixie was home-ported atSubic Bay in the Philippines where she served as a support ship for destroyers in the7th Fleet, taking part in contingency operations in Laos in 1959 and Thailand in 1962. In 1963, the ship took part in 'Flagpole '63,' a joint naval exercise with the Republic of Korea. in 1965, theDixie, alongside a large contingent of the Seventh Fleet, represented the United States of America's official entrance into the Vietnam War.
USSDixie was home-ported out of San Diego, California 1969–1982 at least and was flagship for COMCRUSDESPAC usually tied up at pier 4. TheUSS Dixie was special because they served "Dixie Burgers" during the Vietnam war when moored in Subic Bay or anchored off the coast of Da Nang[4]
In 1981, she was the first ship to be awarded theFirst Navy Jack as the ship with the longest active service in the Navy.Dixie was decommissioned and struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 15 June 1982. She was sold for scrap 17 February 1983 and scrapped at the now-defunctShip breaking yard in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.[5]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.| Preceded by ? | Oldest active ship of theUnited States Navy –1982 | Succeeded by |