Dixie-class destroyer tender

The Dixie class destroyer tender was a class of United States Navy destroyer tenders used during World War II. This class' design was based on the specifications of USS Dixie (AD-14) and constructed based on drawings for that vessel plus ongoing modifications specified for each continued vessel of the class. The basic hull and superstructure for this class was the same as the Fulton-Class submarine tenders and Vulcan-Class repair ships.

Dixie underway, c. 1962
Class overview
Builders:
Operators:

 United States Navy

 Turkish Naval Forces
Preceded by: Altair-class destroyer tender
Succeeded by:
Built: 1939–1943
In commission: 1940–1994
Completed: 5
Retired: 5
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer tender
Displacement: 9,450 long tons (9,602 t)
Length: 530 ft 6 in (161.70 m)
Beam: 73 ft 3 in (22.33 m)
Draft: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Propulsion: Geared turbine engines; twin screws, 12,000 hp (8,948 kW)
Speed: 19.6 knots (22.6 mph; 36.3 km/h)
Complement: 1,262
Armament:
Notes: [1]

Towards the end of World War II, a modified Dixie-class destroyer tender was planned, the New England-class.[2] New England was laid down on 1 October 1944 by the Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Inc., at Tampa, but the ship's construction was cancelled on 12 August 1945.[3]

Ships
Ship name Hull no. Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Fate
Dixie AD-14 17 March 1938 27 May 1939 25 April 1940 15 June 1982 Sold for scrap, 17 February 1983
Prairie AD-15 7 December 1938 9 December 1939 5 August 1940 26 March 1993 Sold for scrap, 2 April 1993
Piedmont AD-17 1 December 1941 7 December 1942 5 January 1944 30 September 1982 Leased to Turkish Navy 18 October 1982 and later transferred to the Turkish Navy on 17 August 1987;

Scrapped in 1995

Sierra AD-18 31 December 1941 23 February 1943 20 March 1944 15 October 1993 Sold for scrap, 25 August 1995
Yosemite AD-19 19 January 1942 16 May 1943 26 March 1944 27 January 1994 Sunk as target, 18 November 2003

Pop Culture

In the novel The Caine Mutiny, The USS Pluto is a Destroyer Tender and pivotal ship for the crew of the Caine. The Pluto provides the crew with many luxuries that would not be possible without going to a proper port. The ship also has many resources that are not possible in smaller ships, including chaplains and legal officers.

References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

Notes
  1. Silverstone, Paul H. (1968). U.S. Warships of World War II. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company. p. 283.
  2. Stefan Terzibaschitsch: 70 Jahre Flottenhilfsschiffe der U.S. Navy. Leonberg, Germany, p. 23 and p. 144
  3. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/03/0332.htm
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