USS Dickerson

Dickerson was assigned to the Neutrality Patrol at Key West and except for brief duty at New London with Submarine Squadron 2 in October 1940, remained on patrol in the Caribbean until October 1941. During this time she searched for and recovered six survivors of Libby Maine in September. After American entry into the war she was sent to Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, where she continued to patrol and escorted one convoy to Iceland and return (December 1941 – January 1942).

By March 1942, Dickerson was back at Norfolk for coastal patrol and escort duty. On 19 March, while returning to Norfolk, she sighted an unidentified ship which fired on the destroyer and badly damaged the charthouse. Four of Dickerson's crew was killed, including her commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander J. K. Reybold. The attacking ship was identified as a nervous merchantman, Liberator, and Dickerson continued on to Norfolk for repairs. She returned to duty in April and escorted convoys between Norfolk and Key West until August; between Key West and New York until October; and between New York and Cuba until January 1943.

In the first half of 1943, Dickerson operated in the Caribbean and escorted tanker convoys to Gibraltar and Algiers. She joined the Card hunter-killer group at Casablanca in June for offensive operations in the middle Atlantic. Between 17 July and 13 August, she sailed to Derry, Northern Ireland, for exercises with British Fleet units, returning to Charleston, S.C., for conversion to a high-speed transport.

Dickerson was reclassified APD-21 on 21 August 1943. She sailed from Norfolk 1 November 1943 for the Pacific. She escorted convoys from Espiritu Santo to Guadalcanal, and then remained in the Solomons on patrol and local escort duty. On 30 January 1944, she landed a reconnaissance group of New Zealanders on Green Island, reembarking them shortly after midnight of 1 February after the boats were strafed by enemy airplanes. On the 15th and 20th, she landed troops on the island to capture and occupy it, and on 20 March landed marines on Emirau Island without opposition.

In April 1944, Dickerson arrived at Milne Bay, and during her 2 months in the New Guinea area, supported the landings at Seleo Island and Aitape. After a brief repair period at Pearl Harbor, she arrived at Roi in the Marshalls to embark an underwater demolition team from Dent and carried them into action at Saipan and Guam. She remained in the Marianas as supply, control and fire support ship for her team until the end of July, then returned to the west coast for overhaul the following month.

Dickerson returned to action in November 1944 with her arrival at Aitape, New Guinea. After escort duty in New Guinea, she sailed 27 December for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, on 9 January 1945, again supporting the operations of an underwater demolition team. She reported to Ulithi at the end of January for repairs, and then joined the screen of a logistics support force for the invasion of Iwo Jima 19 February. She returned to Leyte with 58 prisoners of war, then departed again 24 March with an LST-LSM convoy which was assigned to capture the island of Keise Shima, on which heavy artillery would be placed for the bombardment of Okinawa. Her mission complete, Dickerson was with the transports southwest of Okinawa on the night of 2 April, when the Japanese attacked in strength. One of the kamikaze planes approached the destroyer in a long, low glide, and slashed off the tops of her two stacks before smashing into the base of her bridge, toppling her mast and starting intense gasoline fires. Almost simultaneously another plane scored a direct hit on the center of her forecastle. The explosion tore a hole in the deck almost the complete width of the ship. Despite immediate fire and damage control measures, Dickerson's crew was forced to abandon ship when the raging fires threatened her forward magazine. Fifty-four officers and men, including the commanding officer, were lost. Bunch and Herbert stood by to rescue survivors, and Bunch succeeded in putting out the fires which had virtually demolished Dickerson. The smoldering hulk was towed by Arikara[4] to a captured Japanese Base, Kerama Retto, the dead and salvageable material were removed, then it was towed out to sea and sunk on 4 April 1945.