_in_the_1940s.jpg) USS Dobbin (AD-3) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSDobbin |
| Builder | Philadelphia Navy Yard |
| Launched | 5 May 1921 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. H. H. James |
| Commissioned | 23 July 1924 |
| Decommissioned | 27 September 1946 |
| Honours and awards | 1 ×battle star |
| Fate | Transferred to theUnited States Maritime Commission, 24 December 1946, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Olympia, WA.Sold for scrapping, 5 May 1950 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Destroyer tender |
| Displacement | 12,450 long tons (12,650 t) full load |
| Length | 483 ft 10 in (147.47 m) |
| Beam | 61 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 24 ft 1 in (7.34 m) |
| Propulsion | Parsons geared turbines |
| Speed | 16knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Armament | 4 × single5-inch/38-caliber guns |
USSDobbin (AD-3) is the name of aUnited States Navydestroyer tender of World War II, named afterJames Cochrane Dobbin, the Secretary of the Navy from 1853 to 1857.
Dobbin was launched on 5 May 1921 by thePhiladelphia Navy Yard. She was commissioned on 23 July 1924, and served for 22 years before being decommissioned on 27 September 1946, and transferred to theUnited States Maritime Commission for disposal.
Dobbin (AD-3) was launched on 5 May 1921 at thePhiladelphia Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. H. H. James, granddaughter of Secretary Dobbin. She was commissioned on 23 July 1924.
On 3 January 1925Dobbin sailed forGuantanamo Bay, Cuba, by way ofNewport, Rhode Island, andHampton Roads, Virginia, where she loaded equipment and supplies for her mission as tender to Destroyer Squadron 14 of theScouting Fleet. She joined that squadron at Guantanamo Bay, and took part in gunnery practice with the destroyers. From this base, on 13 February 1925,Dobbin steamed to thePanama Canal and crossed to thePacific Ocean. After maneuvers at sea with the Scouting Fleet she arrived atSan Diego on 9 March 1925 for four months of tender service along the west coast and atPearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Dobbin returned to the east coast in July 1925 and operated in theAtlantic Ocean for the next seven years. During this time she participated in radio experiments and continued her services to the destroyers of the Scouting Fleet. In 1932,Dobbin returned to San Diego, arriving 1 September, and operated out of that port until 5 October 1939. At that time she was transferred to Hawaii and based on Pearl Harbor.
In July 1941 CommanderThomas C. Latimore,Dobbin's captain, disappeared while hiking the localAiea Hills. His body was never found and was the subject of much local news coverage and rumor before being overshadowed by the Pearl Harbor attack. Commander Latimore was declared legally dead in July 1942.
Dobbin was present during theattack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. At the time of the attack she was moored northeast ofFord Island with five destroyers,USS Phelps (DD-360),USS Macdonough (DD-351),USS Worden (DD-352),USS Dewey (DD-349) andUSS Hull (DD-350).[1]
Dobbin's crew watched as Japanese planes targetedBattleship Row, but as the battleships each took heavy damage the Japanese pilots looked for other targets. Seeing that the ship had admiral flags,[1] the aircraft tried to bombDobbin, but the ship only took shrapnel damage.
Dobbin's small craft spent the morning picking up survivors and taking the wounded to shore. The ship picked up hundreds of sailors from other ships, and when she left the harbor in search of the Japanese fleet, 200 men fromUSS Raleigh (CL-7) alone were aboard.[1]
After the attack,Dobbin served in the Hawaiian area until May 1942 and then she was sent to Sydney, Australia.Dobbin was one of several Allied vessels located in Sydney Harbor during theJapanese midget submarine attack of 31 May 1942.[2] On 25 June 1943 she was sent toBrisbane,Mackay,Townsville, andCleveland Bay, Australia, before arriving atMilne Bay,New Guinea, 30 September 1943. She stayed near New Guinea until 14 February 1945, at which point she moved toSubic Bay in thePhilippines. She served at Subic Bay from 24 February to 3 November 1945.
Dobbin returned to San Diego on 7 December 1945 and was decommissioned on 27 September 1946. She was transferred to theMaritime Commission for disposal on 24 December 1946, and sold in May 1950 toZidell Marine in the Portland shipyards for scrapping. The mast was salvaged and sold to theCornelius, Oregon fire department, which erected it and mounted a siren in 1953. The mast and siren was taken down in 2017.[3] As of Aug, 2024, there were ongoing efforts by the Cornelius Historical society to preserve and reinstall the mast -- see external links section for relevant Cornelius Historical society posts on Facebook.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.