USS DYER DD-84

Prior to delivery to the Navy and her commissioning, Dyer underwent standardization trials in June off New England. Assigned to Commander, Patrol Squadrons, based on the British colony of Gibraltar (Base No. 9) along with Gregory (Destroyer No. 82), her sister ship of the Wickes-class, Dyer departed Boston on 7 July 1918 and proceeded to Newport, R.I., where she loaded twelve torpedoes. Departing after her ammunition onload, she made her way to the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y., where she arrived the next day. She departed on 9 July with Convoy Group No. 49, bound for Europe with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt (who wrote his wife Eleanor excitedly: “I am very very glad I chose this way of crossing the ocean”) embarked for transportation to England. En route she rendezvoused with a convoy of five ships in the channel off Ambrose Light. The destroyer parted with the convoy on 13 July and sped to Fayal Island, Azores, arriving on 15 July. The next day she shifted to Ponta Delgada, Azores (Base No. 13). While in port, Cmdr. Fred H. Poteet, the ship’s commanding officer, left the ship and went ashore to visit Rear Adm. Herbert O. Dunn, Commander, Azores Detachment. Departing on 18 July bound for Portsmouth, the ship arrived at 10:00 a.m., on 21 July, where Roosevelt disembarked and made his way to London.

Resuming her passage to her assigned duty station on 26 July 1918, Dyer arrived at Gibraltar on the 29th. Upon arrival, Cmdr. Poteet reported to Rear Adm. Albert P. Niblack, Commander, Patrol Squadrons, Gibraltar, and the next day called at the headquarters of Rear Adm. Sir Heathcoat S. Grant, RN, Senior Officer in Charge of all His Majesty’s Naval Establishments at Gibraltar. Upon seeing Dyer and Gregory, Vice Adm. Sir Somerset A. Gough-Calthorpe, RN, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, remarked that the destroyers were “beautiful craft. I wish we had them for the Dardanelles or Otranto, they are too good for the escort work they are engaged on.” Despite this assertion, Dyer was primarily engaged in escorting merchant convoys and U.S. Army transports between Gibraltar and Marseilles, France.

Dyer began operations underway on 4 August 1918. Three days, later she received orders to escort U.S. Army Transport (USAT) Virginian and Santa Olivia (Id. No. 3125) to Marseilles. The destroyer was also charged with reporting to the Port Convoy Officer upon her arrival to inform him that the ship could escort any U.S. Army transports back to Gibraltar. Getting underway on 8 August, they reached on the 11th. Dyer departed Marseilles in company with Floridian (Id. No. 3875) and the tanker Woonsocket and stood in to Gibraltar on 15 August. On 29 August, she escorted K. I. Luckenbach (Id. No. 2291) and Santa Cecilia (Id. No. 4008) out of Gibraltar, bound for Marseilles, where they reached without incident on 1 September.

Ten days later, during which time Dyer had escorted a convoy to Marseilles, Rear Adm. Niblack dispatched a cablegram to both the offices of Vice Adm. William S. Sims, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces in European Waters at Grosvenor in London (SIMSADUS) and to Adm. William S. Benson, Chief of Naval Operation (OPNAV), that the new “destroyer allotted to Gibraltar should lose no time reaching this station to relieve the congestion of Army stores ships bound for Marseilles, France, Dyer and Gregory are being over worked.” This caused him, the next day, to delay the dispatch of Woonsocket and Eastern Sun upon their arrival at Gibraltar, as the aforementioned destroyers were not at Gibraltar to conduct the escort. Dyer, therefore, cleared Marseilles on 13 September 1918 without a convoy to make her return to Gibraltar. Having reached the British colony, she stood out again on 18 September, in escort of Arizonan (Id. No. 4245-A) and Cacique (Id. No. 2213) to Marseilles. Clearing the French Riviera again on 22 September, the destroyer convoyed Roepat (Id. No. 2536) westward in to Gibraltar on the 26th. She again cleared Gibraltar escorting a convoy, and having stood in to Marseilles, she departed again for Gibraltar on 1 October. With her return, she rendezvoused with Edward Luckenbach (Id. No. 1662) and the merchantman Medina and departed bound for Marseilles on 5 October. Having arrived at Marseilles without incident, she picked up Santa Paula (Id. No. 1590) and made her return to Gibraltar on 12 October. Two weeks later, on 26 October, Dyer was being moved by the British tug Energetic in the harbor at Gibraltar, when the destroyer collided with HMS Marynthea, resulting in damage to the former. Despite this incident, Dyer was again underway on 27 October. This time she escorted the Swedish vessel Carolina to Marseilles. She made her return to Gibraltar with her final convoy on 11 November, the same day that saw the enacting of the Armistice which ended hostilities.

With war’s end, Dyer spent three weeks in drydock undergoing repairs and overhaul. Afterward, she made three trips across the straits to Algiers, Algeria or Tangier, French Morocco [Morocco], carrying liberty parties and other passengers (22 December 1918-18 January 1919). On 24 January, she steamed to Lisbon, Portugal, in company with the British destroyer HMS Lyra, in response to a reported revolution in the Portuguese capital. Both ships made their return to Gibraltar on 28 January. That same day, Dyer received orders to report to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Mediterranean, at Venice, Italy, for duty. Departing Gibraltar the next day, 29 January, she steamed via Valetta, Malta (31 January-3 February), and made her way to Venice on 5 February. Upon her arrival, she reported to Rear Adm. Niblack, now in command there. Departing a week later on 12 February, she steamed down the Adriatic and called at Spalato, Dalmatia, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes [Croatia]; Cattaro, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes [Montenegro], and Brindisi, Italy; Constantinople [Istanbul], Turkey; and Beirut, Syria [Lebanon], before arriving at Venice, on 7 March.

Operating from Venice as the flagship for the force, Dyer engaged in activities in connection with relief agencies, transportation of passengers and supplies in the Adriatic command, and aided in the execution of the terms of the Austrian armistice until 16 April 1919, when she was detached.  Dyer departed Spalato on 16 April, and arrived at Gibraltar on 20 April. She then visited Lisbon, Portugal; Smyrna [Izmir], Turkey; Villefranche, France; and returned to Gibraltar on 29 May.

Clearing Gibraltar on 5 June 1919 with two members of Congress embarked, Dyer set out westward in company with Gregory for a return to the U.S. via the Azores. Arriving at Ponta Delgada on 7 June, the destroyers reached New York on 14 June 1919, and moored in the North River anchorage off 96th Street. On 23 June, both destroyers were assigned to Division Six, Squadron Three, Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet. On 28 June, she offloaded her ammunition in preparation for docking at the New York Navy Yard for post-deployment overhaul and alterations. Entering the yard on 1 July, her work would be completed on 6 December, but she would remain at the New York Navy Yard afterward. While in the yard, she was placed in reserve with a reduced commission (1 October 1919-31 October 1920). Dyer underwent satisfactory trials and on 8 June 1920, her homeport was re-assigned to the Charleston [S.C.] Navy Yard.