_underway_in_1920s_or_1930s.jpg) USSDallas underway sometime beforeWorld War II. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | Alexander J. Dallas |
| Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company |
| Laid down | 25 November 1918 |
| Launched | 31 May 1919 |
| Commissioned | 29 October 1920 |
| Decommissioned | 26 June 1922 |
| Recommissioned | 14 April 1925 |
| Decommissioned | 23 March 1939 |
| Recommissioned | 25 September 1939 |
| Renamed | Alexander Dallas, 31 March 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 28 July 1945 |
| Stricken | 13 August 1945 |
| Nickname(s) | Dull Ass |
| Fate | Sold 30 November 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Clemson-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 1,215 tons |
| Length | 314 feet 4 inches (95.81 m) |
| Beam | 31 feet 8 inches (9.65 m) |
| Draft | 9 feet 10 inches (3.00 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 33.3 kn (38.3 mph; 61.7 km/h) |
| Complement | 130 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | 4 x4 in (100 mm) guns, 1 x3 in (76 mm) gun, 12 x21 inch (533 mm) TT. |
USSDallas (DD-199) was aClemson-classdestroyer in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She was the second ship named for CaptainAlexander J. Dallas, and was later renamedAlexander Dallas.
Dallas waslaunched on 31 May 1919 byNewport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company; sponsored by Miss W. D. Strong, great granddaughter of Captain Dallas; andcommissioned on 29 October 1920.[1]
Dallas operated on theUnited States East Coast, participating in exercises and maneuvers from her base atCharleston, South Carolina. She arrived atPhiladelphia on 12 April 1922 and wasdecommissioned there on 26 June.
Recommissioned on 14 April 1925,Dallas served with various destroyersquadrons, acting asflagship for Squadrons 9, 7, and 1. Until 1931, she cruised along the U.S. East Coast and in theCaribbean, engaging in gunnery exercises, battletorpedo practice, fleet maneuvers, andfleet problems; participating in jointUnited States Army-U.S. Navy exercises; training members of theUnited States Naval Reserve; and serving as experimental ship at theNaval Torpedo Station,Newport, Rhode Island.[1]
On 9 January 1932,Dallas departed Charleston, South Carolina, bound for theUnited States West Coast, arriving atSan Diego,California, on 21 March 1932. She operated along the U.S. West Coast and in theHawaiian Islands, conducting force practice and tactical exercises and participating in combined fleet exercises.[1]
Dallas departed San Diego on 9 April 1934 for thePresidential Review of the Fleet in June 1934 atNew York City and tactical exercises on the U.S. East Coast and in the Caribbean. Returning to San Diego on 9 November 1934,Dallas continued to operate in thePacific Ocean until 1938, cruising to Hawaii andAlaska.[1]
Dallas operated in thePanama Canal Zone area between May and November 1938, visiting ports of theRepublic of Panama; rendering service toSubmarine Squadron 3; and making a good-will call atBuenaventura, Colombia. On 17 November 1938 she weighed anchor for the U.S. East Coast, arriving at Philadelphia on 23 November 1938. She again was placed out of commission on 23 March 1939.[1]
With the outbreak ofWorld War II inEurope on 1 September 1939,Dallas was recommissioned on 25 September 1939 and assigned to theUnited States Atlantic Fleet, serving as flagship for Destroyer Squadrons 41 and 30. She patrolled along the U.S. East Coast and conducted training exercises until 7 July 1941, when she got underway forNaval Station Argentia in theDominion of Newfoundland, where she arrived on 11 July 1941. Between 11 July 1941 and 10 March 1942 she patrolled between Argentia andHalifax,Nova Scotia, and escorted convoys toReykjavík,Iceland, andDerry,Northern Ireland.[1]
From 1 April 1942 to 3 October,Dallas escorted coastal shipping from New York andNorfolk, Virginia to Florida,Texas, Cuba, Bermuda, and ports in the Caribbean. On 25 October she cleared Norfolk to rendezvous withTask Force 34 bound for theOperation Torchamphibious landings inNorth Africa.Dallas was to carry a U.S. Army Raiderbattalion, and land them up the narrow, shallow, obstructedSebou River to take a strategic airfield nearPort Lyautey,French Morocco. On 10 November 1942 she began her run up the river under the guidance of Rene Malevergne, a civilianpilot who would later become the first foreign civilian to receive theNavy Cross. Under cannon and small arms fire throughout her voyage up the river, she plowed her way through mud and shallow water, narrowly missing many sunken ships and other obstructions, and sliced through a cable crossing the river to land her troops safely just off the airfield. Her outstanding success in completing this mission with its many unexpected complications won her thePresidential Unit Citation. On 15 November 1942, she departed theAfrican coast forBoston, Massachusetts, arriving there 26 November 1942.[1]
Dallas had convoy duty between Norfolk, New York, andNew London, Connecticut — also making one voyage toGibraltar from 3 March to 14 April 1943 — until 9 May 1943, when she departed Norfolk forOran,Algeria, arriving there on 23 May 1943. She patrolled off the North African coast, then on 9 July 1943 joined Task Force 81 for screening duty during theBattle of Gela from 10 to 12 July duringOperation Husky, theAllied invasion ofSicily.[2] She returned toconvoy and patrol duties until 7 September 1943, when she joined the escort for a convoy bound for the amphibious landings on the mainland ofItalyinOperation Avalanche.Dallas screened the transport group during the landings atSalerno on 9 September 1943, and joined a southbound convoy on 11 September 1943, rescuing two downed British airmen on her way to Oran. She escorted reinforcements to Salerno, then served on escort and patrol in theMediterranean until 11 December 1943, when she got underway for the U.S. East Coast, arriving at Philadelphia on 24 December 1943.[1]
Following a thorough overhaul at Charleston, South Carolina,Dallas escorted two convoys to North Africa between 23 February and 9 June 1944. On the second voyage, the escorts came under attack by enemytorpedo planes on 11 May 1944, but successfully defended the convoy;Dallas shot down at least one plane, and damaged others. She served on the U.S. East Coast on various training and convoy assignments. On 31 March 1945, her name was changed toAlexander Dallas to avoid confusion with the plannedheavy cruiserUSS Dallas (CA-150), named afterDallas,Texas, rather than Alexander J. Dallas.[1]
Arriving at thePhiladelphia Navy Yard on 7 June 1945,Alexander Dallas was decommissioned there on 28 July 1945. Stricken from theNavy Register on 13 August 1945, she was sold on 30 November 1945 to the Boston Metals Company ofBaltimore,Maryland, for scrapping forUS$8,700.00.[1]
| Convoy | Escort Group | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HX 150 | 17–25 Sep 1941[3] | fromNewfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war | |
| ON 22 | 7–15 Oct 1941[4] | from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war | |
| HX 157 | 30 Oct-8 Nov 1941[3] | from Newfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war | |
| ON 35 | 15–27 Nov 1941[4] | from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war | |
| HX 164 | 10–19 Dec 1941[3] | from Newfoundland to Iceland | |
| ON 49 | 27 Dec 1941-5 Jan 1942[4] | from Iceland to Newfoundland | |
| HX 171 | 22–30 Jan 1942[3] | from Newfoundland to Iceland | |
| ON 63 | 7–13 Feb 1942[4] | from Iceland to Newfoundland |
In addition to her Presidential Unit Citation,Dallas received fourbattle stars for World War II service.[1]
Dallas′sship's bell is displayed at Navy Reserve Center Fort Worth atNaval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth inFort Worth,Texas.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
