USS Piedmont (AD-17)

USS Piedmont (AD–17) was a Dixie class destroyer tender built during World War II for the U.S. Navy. Her task was to service destroyers in, or near, battle areas and to keep them fit for duty. She served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. For her work in battle areas she won four battle stars for her Korean War efforts and one for Vietnam War service.

She was laid down by the Tampa Ship Building Co., Inc., Tampa, Florida, 1 December 1941; launched 7 December 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Elsa Kauffman; and, commissioned 5 January 1944, Comdr. Malcolm D. MacGregor in command.

The ship's mascot was "Doc", one of the dwarfs in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Early in February 1944 destroyer tender "Piedmont" stood out from Tampa, Florida, on her shakedown cruise. On 6 March she sailed for the Panama Canal, San Diego, California, and Pearl Harbor. Less than 24 hours after her arrival at Pearl Harbor, "Piedmont" had taken her first U.S. Pacific Fleet destroyer alongside. "Piedmont" remained at Pearl Harbor throughout the months of April and May during the feverish preparations for the Marianas campaign. At one time, "Piedmont" had seven destroyers alongside and was working on jobs for more than 50 other destroyers moored in the stream.

Servicing the Mobile Fleet

Having served her apprenticeship, "Piedmont" sailed from Pearl Harbor to join the fleet in the Marshall Islands in mid-June. July and August were months of great fleet activity at Eniwetok. Periodically, task groups from the huge Task Force 58, which was supporting the Marianas campaign, returned to Eniwetok for rest, replenishment, and repairs. Unlike her duty at Pearl Harbor, all jobs were now a race against the calendar and, in addition, shore facilities were no longer available. During the month of July, 99 ships were provisioned with 888 tons of stores. The month of August turned out much the same with ships returning from the invasion of Guam. In September 1944, with the Central Pacific campaign virtually completed, "Piedmont" sailed into the Southwest Pacific with the rest of the fleet in preparation for the Philippines campaign. By early December, damaged ships began returning to Manus and USS|Saufley|DD-465 and USS|Killen|DD-593, both severely damaged by Japanese suicide planes, were assigned to "Piedmont" for repairs.

"Mount Hood" explosion

On the morning of 10 November, while anchored in Seeadler Harbor, "Piedmont" heard two explosions to port. USS|Mount Hood|AE-11, lying about convert|3500|yd away, had blown up. No trace of "Mount Hood" remained. Between "Mount Hood" and "Piedmont", USS|Mindanao|ARG-3 was anchored and took terrible punishment from the explosion. Fire and rescue parties were immediately dispatched from "Piedmont" to "Mindanao" and ships alongside her. Though "Piedmont" suffered only superficial damage from the explosion, numerous convert|5|in|mm|sing=on projectiles and steel fragments flew over Mindanao and landed on "Piedmont’s" decks and superstructure, most of them ricocheting off. One man suffered fatal injuries from a direct hit by the base of a convert|5|in|mm|sing=on shell. One 250 pound aerial bomb penetrated the movie locker on the boat deck while another pierced the forecastle and plowed through a tier of bunks. Fortunately neither bomb exploded and remarkably enough, personnel in both compartments escaped injury.

Support Philippine Invasion operations

Lingayen Gulf operations scheduled for early 1945 demanded the presence of all available tender strength at Ulithi in the Caroline Islands. Early in January "Piedmont" stood out of Manus Island for Ulithi with Service Squadron 10. January through April saw "Piedmont" in her most sustained effort. Those same months which witnessed the seaborne invasions of Lingayen, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, found the repair department averaging more than 1,000 completed job orders and almost 100,000 man hours of work each month.

Supporting the Fleet at Iwo Jima and Okinawa

During the long, bitter weeks of the Iwo-Okinawa operations, the United States Fleet suffered more damage than at any other time in it’s history. USS|Gansevoort|DD-608, beached and abandoned after being hit by a suicide plane during the Mindoro landings of November 1944, was patched, refloated, and towed to Ulithi for temporary repairs by "Piedmont" which would permit her return to the United States under her own power. On 20 April USS|McDermut|DD-677 made port with a 3-by-5 foot hole in her sheer strake, port side, for repair by "Piedmont". USS|Hale|DD-642, having suffered extensive damage to her port side bridge structure during a collision with a carrier while refueling, came alongside 1 May. The most badly battered of the battle damaged ships serviced by "Piedmont" at Ulithi was USS|Hazelwood|DD-531 which came alongside 4 May. Her entire bridge superstructure was a mass of tangled wreckage, a bomb explosion had blown a 15-by-15 foot hole in her starboard side, main deck; her forward stack had been completely destroyed; extensive bomb damage extended down to her second platform; and her interior and fleet radio room had been destroyed. Numerous dead had still to be removed from the wreckage. All repairs effected were temporary and on 24 May "Hazelwood" sailed for the United States and a Navy Yard rebuilding.

Post-Okinawa operations

With the cessation of all organized resistance on Okinawa in June "Piedmont" moved to the Naval Base at Leyte, Philippine Islands, for much needed rest and repairs. However, her stay was short and on 30 June she sailed for Eniwetok again. At Eniwetok, the repair department was occupied chiefly with the construction and development of fleet recreation facilities ashore in anticipation of the fleet turn-around which had been scheduled for late August. The fleet did not return to Eniwetok for the anticipated August availability as on 14 August the Japanese government accepted Allied peace terms.

In Tokyo Bay at War’s End

On top of this electrifying news the ship received orders to prepare for getting underway. "Piedmont" had been selected from the Pacific Fleet destroyer tenders as the one to move into Tokyo Bay with the first naval units for occupation of Japanese ships. On 16 August the ship departed Eniwetok to rendezvous with the U.S. 3rd Fleet at about one day’s steaming from Japan. The long-awaited event took place on 28 August when "Piedmont" dropped her anchor in Sagami Wan, Honshū, Japan. Early on the 30th, she moved into Tokyo Bay and on the following day moored to the dock at the Yokosuka Naval Base. While moored at Yokosuka, "Piedmont" supplied provisions and clothing to the landing forces and to the hospital ships standing by to care for released allied prisoners of war. "Piedmont" remained in the Tokyo area supporting the occupation forces until sailing for the United States, arriving at Alameda, California, 15 March 1946.

Korean War operations

When the Korean campaign began 27 June 1950, "Piedmont" was on station in Japan carrying out her normal schedule providing tender services to ships of the U.S. 7th Fleet where she remained until relieved in November. During the Korean campaign "Piedmont" completed four tours in the Western Pacific: 4 September 1950 to 27 October 1950; 1 August 1951 to 12 February 1952; 9 September 1952 to 9 March 1953 and 11 April 1954 to 27 July 1954; when she acted as flagship for Commander United Nations Blockading and Escort Force and provided tender services to ships of Canada, Colombia, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand as well as those of the U.S. Navy. In February 1956 she returned from a six-month tour of duty in the Far East which included visits to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Formosa, and Japan. In January 1957 "Piedmont" again departed CONUS for her annual tour of duty in WestPac, visiting Subic Bay, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sasebo, Kobe, and Yokosuka before returning again to San Diego, California, in August 1957. On 23 June 1958 "Piedmont" departed San Diego and steamed for Yokosuka via Pearl Harbor, arriving there 12 July. When the Lebanon crisis in the Middle East erupted, "Piedmont" steamed 15 July for Subic Bay to stand ready and alerted to participate, if needed, in the Middle East action.

Quemoy and Matsu Conflict

On 28 August 1958 "Piedmont" steamed to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to tend 7th Fleet units engaged in convoy and patrol duty in the Taiwan Straits to prevent Communist capture of the off-shore island of Quemoy. After returning to Yokosuka via Hong Kong, "Piedmont" steamed for San Diego 12 January 1959. Between 1960 and 1962 "Piedmont" made two more cruises to WestPac. She received a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization overhaul at Long Beach, California, completed 31 January 1963. She again deployed to WestPac from February to September 1963 and from June to December 1964.

Vietnam War Activity

Three months of the latter tour were spent at Subic Bay servicing destroyers and other 7th Fleet ships serving in the Tonkin Gulf and off Vietnam. During her 1968 WestPac tour "Piedmont" was still servicing ships in Subic Bay, as well as Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

End of US service

On 6 August 1987 "Piedmont" was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. On 17 August she was transferred to Turkey under the Security Assistance Program (SAP), Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) Section 516, Southern Region Amendment. [cite web |url= http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AD17.htm |title= N.V.R. PIEDMONT (AD 17) |accessdate= 2007-06-30]

Awards

"Piedmont" earned the Navy Occupation Service Medal, Pacific, for the periods from 2 September 1945 to 24 February 1946, from 11 June 1946 to 2 February 1947, and from 12 September 1948 to 15 September 1948. "Piedmont" also earned the China Service Medal for the periods from February to 30 March 1947, from 2 March to 10 March 1948, and from 16 May to 30 May 1950.

During the Korean War, she earned battle stars for: North Korean Aggression (25 September to 15 October 1950), Second Korean Winter (to 10 January 1952 and 6 to 7 February 1952), Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 (23 September to 3 October 1952 and 19 to 23 November 1952), and Third Korean Winter (28 to 30 December 1952 and 24 to 25 January 1953).

For the Vietnam conflict, "Piedmont" was awarded a star for: Vietnam Ceasefire (29 June to 8 July 1972).

Trivia

* The ship's mascot was "Doc", one of the dwarfs in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.Fact|date=January 2008
* The only ship in the US Navy to be referred to as a "he" (male), all others are "she" (female).Fact|date=January 2008

References

ee also

* List of United States Navy ships
* World War II
* Destroyer tender
* Destroyer

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p6/piedmont.htm Naval Historical Center - DANFS entry for "Piedmont"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/03/0317.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AD-17 Piedmont]