USS Piedmont
The USS Piedmont was built at the Tampa Ship Building Company, Inc. in Florida. This ship was the only naval vessel that was referred to by the masculine gender. He was built as a Dixie Class Destroyer Tender in order to repair Destroyer Ships that had been damaged in battle. His official launch date was December 7, 1942 and he was officially commissioned on January 5, 1944 under the command of Malcolm D. MacGregor.
By February of 1944, The Piedmont had sailed to Pearl Harbor and within just 24 hours of arriving, the crew was already providing repairs for a ship from the Pacific Fleet. Over the next two months The Piedmont serviced many Destroyers and developed a solid reputation amongst the fleet.
In June The Piedmont left Pearl Harbor and sailed to the Marshall Islands to help repair and replenish ships that were part of Task Force 58, and even ships that were damaged while in duty at Guam. This proved to be an arduous task as there were a large number of ships in need of their services, and not much time to do each job. The crew of The Piedmont worked feverishly to keep the other vessels in good operating condition.
September of 1944 saw The Piedmont on the move again as he sailed to the Philippines to help repair ships that had been damaged in battle and by kamikaze pilots. This assignment lasted until January of 1945 when the Piedmont was sent to Ulithi in the Caroline Islands. There the crew serviced ships that had sustained damage in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The overworked crew continued their incredible pace and averaged more than one thousand repair jobs every month!
The Piedmont moved to a Naval Base so that it could receive repair work for himself in June of 1945. The ship was scheduled to go back out by August, but before the departure date arrived peace had been declared and the return was no longer necessary.
Next, The Piedmont sailed to Tokyo where he provided supplies and uniforms to hospital ships that were receiving recently released POW's. The ship remained in Tokyo to offer support until March 15, 1946. At that time he sailed to California and was briefly stationed in Alameda.
As the Korean war grew, The Piedmont was sent to the Western Pacific to complete four tours of duty. For part of this time, he served the distinction of being the flagship for the United Nations Blockading and Escort Force. The ship and crew served in Korea from 1950 until 1954. The next mission involved a trip to the Philippines, Hong Kong and other far Eastern countries, and in 1957 the ship was finally back in the United States again.
The Piedmont spent a short period of time in the Tonkin Gulf, servicing ships during the Vietnam conflict. During his years of servicing ships at war, The Piedmont earned five battle stars for all of his efforts. By August of 1987, the ship was decommissioned and removed from the Naval Vessel Register and taken to Turkey.
The nickname of The Piedmont was Doc, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This proved to be slightly ironic as the ship has products made from asbestos on board, which could cause the crew members to become very sick. Asbestos is a highly toxic material that can lead to cancerous diseases such as mesothelioma. These diseases can be fatal, so anyone who sailed on The Piedmont should contact their own doctor to be checked for the possibility of this and other potential respiratory issues.
Last modified: December 09 2009.
