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On the 27th
of May 1939,
the USS
DIXIE
(AD-14) slid
down the
ways of the
New York
Shipbuilding
Company’s
Camden, Now
Jersey
shipyard.
The DIXIE
was placed
in full
commission
on 25 April
1940 at the
Philadelphia
Navy Yard.
During World
War II,
DIXIE served
throughout
the Pacific
as a flag
ship and
tending
destroyers
at such
places as
New Guinea,
the
Philippines
and Okinawa.
After almost
four years
of overseas
duty DIXIE
returned to
the U.S.
arriving in
Seattle,
Washington
on 17
December
1945.
On 20 April
1946, DIXIE
cut her
stateside
stay short
to
participate
in the
Bikini Atom
Bomb Test.
In the fall
she returned
to the San
Diego Naval
Base to tend
destroyers
and other
ships of the
fleet. In
February
1949, DIXIE
sailed to
Tsingtao,
China where
she remained
until the
area fell to
communist
forces in
May 1949.
With the
outbreak of
the Korean
War, DIXIE
sailed to
Japan where
she tended
destroyers
from the gun
line. DIXIE,
although not
being built
as a
man-o-war,
stepped out
of her role
as a repair
ship to
bombard the
Korean
coastline
with 208
rounds from
her
five-inch
guns in
January
1951.
From the
close of the
Korean War
through the
Vietnam
Conflict,
DIXIE
continued to
alternate
her flagship
and tender
duties at
San Diego
with tours
of service
in support
of the
Seventh
Fleet in the
Far East.
During
DIXIE’s
overseas
deployment
of May-Nov.
1976, in
addition to
normal ship
repair
functions,
DIXIE
provided
disaster
relief
service to
the people
of Guam when
typhoon
Pamela
ravaged that
island
territory.
DIXIE was
modernized
in 1978 at
Todd
Shipyard,
San Pedro,
California
to update
the crew’s
living space
and food
service
facilities,
as well as
to provide
new shop
facilities
and make
needed
repairs.
This
rejuvenated
“Lady of the
Fleet”
continued to
effectively
provide
essential
service to
the
combatants,
which keep
our sea
lanes open
to all the
free
countries of
the world.
In December
of 1979 she
became the
first tender
to operate
in the
Indian Ocean
since World
War II when
she
commenced
operations
at Diego
Garcia, BIOT,
in support
of the
Indian Ocean
Battle
Groups.
Through war
and peace,
DIXIE has
been true to
her pledge
of “Nothing
too small or
too large,
easy jobs or
hard, they
are all part
of the days
work.” USS
DIXIE AD-14
returned
from her
25th
deployment
on 10
February
1982 and was
decommissioned
on 15 June
1982.
During her
42 years of
service, the
USS DIXIE
earned five
battle stars
and the
following
awards:
World War II
Victory
Medal, China
Service
Medal, Navy
Occupation
Service
Medal,
American
Defense
Service
Medal,
American
Campaign
Medal,
United
Nations
Service
Medal
(Korea),
Asiatic
Pacific
Campaign
Medal with
five stars,
Korean
Service
Medal with
four stars,
Vietnam
Service
Medal, Navy
Expeditionary
Medal
(Indian
Ocean), Sea
Service
Medal with
two stars,
National
Defense
Ribbon, and
Korean
-Presidential
unit
citation.
DIXIE’s
Decommissioning
Ceremony
On 15 June
1982, USS
DIXIE
(AD-14) was
decommissioned
at Naval
Station, San
Diego after
42 years and
51 days of
active
continuous
naval
service. The
ceremony,
which was
held on the
Focs’le, was
attended by
military and
civilian
guests, and
included
many of the
“Grand Old
Lady’s” crew
who were
aboard for
her
commissioning
on 25 April
1940. The
guest
speaker was
VADM Lee
Baggett,
Jr.,
Commander
Naval
Surface
Force U.S.
Pacific
Fleet, who
recounted
DIXIE’s
proud
history, and
the
accomplishments
of the
crewmen
assigned
throughout
the year.
Following
the somber
occasion of
final
lowering of
the national
colors, the
distinctive
First Navy
Jack (DON’T
TREAD ON ME)
was passed
to DIXIE’s
younger
sister, USS
PRAIRIE
(AD-15), who
then became
the oldest
Navy ship on
active
continuous
service. The
ship’s log
was closed
with a last
simple entry
noting the
time of day,
and a great
ship passed
into
history.
USS DIXIE
(AD-14) was
commanded by
Captain
Roger L.
Coffey, U.S.
Navy on her
final day of
service to
our great
Navy.
FATE
On April 21,
1983, the
KOBE MARU, a
Japanese
ocean-going
tug, left
San
Francisco
Embarcadero
with the USS
DIXIE AD-14
in tow. The
crew
prepared for
a 50-day
tow, which
would have
the DIXIE
delivered to
a Taiwanese
ship
breaking
yard. |
