USS Dixie (AD-14)
The second
USS Dixie (AD-14) was a destroyer
tender in the
United States Navy.
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, with
Lieutenant Commander G. H. Bahm in command.
Dixie sailed from
Norfolk, Virginia, on
20 June 1940 for
Pearl Harbor to serve the
destroyers of the
Battle Force until October, when she cleared for the West Coast and similar operations at
San Diego, California. When the
Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor on
7 December 1941, she was undergoing
overhaul at
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.
Dixie alternated between
Noumea and
Espiritu Santo in support of the operations in the
Solomons from November 1942 to March
1944, then went to the Solomons where she was based at
Hathorn Sound. In September she arrived at the huge fleet base at
Ulithi, serving there until February
1945. Her essential services were next given at
San Pedro Bay,
Leyte, where
Dixie remained until the end of the war. She served ships on
occupation duty at
Okinawa and
Shanghai, then returned to the west coast in December 1945.
In the summer of
1946,
Dixie sailed to
Bikini Atoll for
atomic weapons experiments,
Operation Crossroads. In
1947 and in
1949 she cruised to the
Far East and was based at
Tsingtao to serve destroyers on patrol off the
Chinese coast. When the
Communist advance forced the evacuation of Americans from China, she acted as
headquarters for the American
Consul and
Charge d'Affaires at
Hong Kong. She continued her active service alternating
flagship duty for Commander,
Cruiser Destroyer Force,
Pacific Fleet, at San Diego, with tours in the Far East, based on
Sasebo,
Japan, or
Subic Bay,
Philippine Islands. During two of these
western Pacific tours, she rendered valuable assistance to the ships of the
United Nations operating off
Korea. In
1959 and again in
1960, in addition to serving at San Diego, she sailed to the Far East to provide tender facilities for the
7th Fleet.
Dixie received five
battle stars for
Korean War service.
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 struck from the
Naval Vessel Register and decommissioned on
15 June 1982.
See
USS Dixie for other ships of this name.
*
history.navy.mil: USS Dixie (AD-14)*
navsource.org: USS Dixie (AD-14)
