Dixie (AD 14) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 7 text:

The DIXIE was relieved by the PRAIRIE on 11 September 1949 and sailed for San Diego, via Pearl Harbor. After steaming a total of 19,973 nautical miles, the DIXIE arrived in San Diego 30 September 1949. She continued repairing destroyers until she departed for the Navy Yard overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, Calif. After overhaul, the DIXIE returned to San Diego and underwent an intensive underway training program for three weeks. While in San Diego, the DIXIE was flagship for Rear Admiral DuBose, Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet from 4 February 1950 to 8 July 1950. The DIXIE left San Diego 9 July 1950 for Port Chicago, Calif, to load Ammunition. She left for Japan to assist in the Korean Campaign. She arrived in Yokosuka, Japan 27 July 1950 and then departed for Sasebo, Japan. She remained in Sasebo until 27 January 1951 servicing destroyers. The DIXIE left Sasebo and with the MISSOURI, MANCHESTER and seventeen destroyers she participated in the bombarding of the East Coast of Korea. The DIXIE went in to close range of the Korean Coast and blasted away at targets on the beach. The DIXIE returned to Pusan, Korea 4 February 1951 and left for Sasebo the next day to be relieved by the PRAIRIE. The DIXIE departed for the U. S. the afternoon of 5 February 1951 and arrived in San Diego 20 February 1951 to resume duties as Flagship of Rear Admiral DuBose. The DIXIE again returned to the Far East in 1952. While overseas, she rendered repairs to a total of 226 ships representing seven nations. In addition, she rendered medical and dental attention, supplies, provisions, ammunition and disbursing facilities as well as numerous other requirements to these ships returning from combat patrols along the Korean coastline. The DIXIE returned to San Diego in October 1953. The DIXIE again left San Diego on 9 November 1954 for another tour of duty in the Western Pacific. On 30 November she received a message request from Commander Naval Forces, Philippines, to answer an SOS of Philippine motor vessel NAGA, reportedly aground on OOT POINT, Samar Island, in Bantayan Bay, Philippine Islands and dispatched a search and rescue team. All passengers and crew were safely debarked from NAGA. One member of the DIXIE search and rescue team was lost under circumstances leading to the presumption of death due to drowning. The DIXIE arrived in Subic Bay on 2 December 1954. On 3 January 1955 she was underway for Manila, arriving late afternoon. She returned to Subic Bay on 7 January 1955. She later returned to Yokosuka, departing Yokosuka on 27 April and arriving San Diego 3 May 1955. Since 1955, the DIXIE has made three tours to the Western Pacific Zone. In 1957 the DIXIE served as flagship for Rear Admiral Rivero, Commander Destroyer Flotilla One. In 1958 she returned to San Diego and served as flagship for Rear Admiral Smedberg, Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Forces Pacific. In January 1959, the DIXIE again returned to WesPac. She served as flagship for Destoyer Flotilla One, Rear Admiral Weatherwax, Commanding. She visited such ports as Hong Kong, Beppu and Sasebo. She returned to San Diego in August of 1959. While in San Diego, she served as flagship for Rear Admiral U.S.G. Sharp, Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Forces Pacific. The DIXIE rotated again to WesPac for the present tour, serving as flagship for Rear Admiral Leverton, Commander Destroyer Flotilla One and Rear Admiral Waters.

Page 6 text:

— -- — S B :«-»R«2-Lr-Ll« Nr rfi -»: P . ' .s ' ' i jrT. ' s p . n i -- A ' ??; . H THE USS DIXIE (AD-14), who gives her name to the Navy ' s largest class of destroyer tenders, was built at the New York Shipbuilding Company, New Jersey, and was launched 27 May 1939. The first ship to be designed from the keel up for the purpose of repairing and servicing modern fleet destroyers, the DIXIE was formally placed in commission on April 25 th 1940, at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Her twenty years of commissioned service is the longest span of continuous service of any ship in the Pacific Fleet Destroyer Force and is exceeded only by very few ships of the active fleet. After a short shakedown cruise, the DIXIE departed for West Coast via San Juan, Puerto Rico, Guanta- nimo Bay, Cuba, on down to Cristobal, the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal, through the canal to Panama City, and then to San Diego, Calif. The DIXIE ' S entire career has been devoted to serving destroyers of the Pacific Fleet. Although San Diego has always been her home port, her first five years were spent, for the most part, in close support of destroyers in World War II combat. The DIXIE operated in such places as New Caledonia, the Hebrides, the Southern Solomons and the Northern Solomons where she provided for the needs of such reknowned outfits as Admiral Arleigh Burke ' s Little Beavers (Destroyer Squadron 23) in their operations up The Slot . She also provided support at the Netherlands East Indies, the Western Carolinas, and eventually the Philippines where she maintained a record of returning the combatant ships to the fighting front with a minimum of delay. Leaving the Philippines soon after the end of the war, the DIXIE joined a convoy to Okinawa. She left Okinawa shortly after her arrival there and joined another convoy to Shanghai, where she remained and carried on her repair work until 5 December 1945, when she finally turned her bow homeward. The DIXIE arrived in Seattle, 17 December 1945 after almost four straight years of overseas duty. In 1946 she turned westward again to assist in Operations Crossroads at the Bikini Atoll. The DIXIE returned again to San Diego via Pearl Harbor and San Francisco arriving 4 October 1946 and remained there servicing destroyers until 3 March 1947 when she left for Tsingtao, China via Pearl Harbor. Having been relieved by the PRAIRIE, the DIXIE started home 13 September 1947 and arrived in San Diego 2 October 1947. She remained in San Diego and Long Beach repairing ships until 15 Februay 1949, when she returned to Tsingtao, China via Pearl Harbor for relief of the SIERRA and Flagship for Com- mander Service Squadron 3, arriving 7 March 1949. Upon relieving the SIERRA, information wis received that Tsingtao was surrounded by the Communist Forces and preparations were made by the Asiatic Fleet to leave on short notice. The DIXIE left Tsingtao 24 May 1949 just before it fell to the Communist armies. She arrived at Alacrity Anchorage off Shanghai, China, on 26 May 1949 and left the same night after word was received that Shanghai had fallen to the communists, arriving at Buckner Bay, Okinawa 27 May 1949. The DIXIE departed from Buckner Bay 14 June 1949 for Yokosuka, Japan arriving 16 June 1949. DIXIE departed 22 June 1949 for Hong Kong, British Crown Colony in South China arriving 29 June 1949. She departed 1 July for Subic Bay, Philippines to act as headquarters for the American Consul and Charge de Affairs on the forced evacuation by the communists of all Americans in Canton, China.

Page 8 text:

CAPTAIN JOHN T. BLAND III COMMANDING OFFICER Captain Bland was born in Burgaw, North Carolina on January 6, 1916. He graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1938. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Captain Bland has served aboard the USS BROOKLYN, HERBERT, MACLEISH, A.W. GRANT, LAND and ROWAN, the last two he commanded. He also served at the Naval Ammunition Depots at Crane, Indiana and Fallbrook, California and the Naval Proving Grounds at Dahlgren, Virginia. Captain Bland has been awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V, Letter of Commendation with Combat V and American Defense ribbon with star. He has also received the American Theater Medal, European Theater, Pacific Theater, World War II, China Service, Korean War Medal with star. United Nations Medal with star, the Philippine Liberation and Korean Presidential Unit Citation. The DIXIE, while under the command of Captain Bland, celebrated her twentieth anniversary, the longest period of continuous duty of any ship in the Destroyer Force. The Captain and his wife Elaine have three children, John, Barbara Elaine and Thomas Herbert.