| USS Firedrake (AE-14) | |
|---|---|
 USS Firedrake (AE-14) in 1963 | |
| Career (US) |  |
| Launched: | 12 May 1944 |
| Commissioned: |
27 December 1944 11 October 1951 |
| Decommissioned: |
21 February 1946 October 1971 at Mare Island, CA |
| Fate: | scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 459 ft 2 in (140 m) |
| Beam: | 63 ft (19.2 m) |
| Draught: | 28 ft 3 in (8.6 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 7,700 long tons (7,800 t) deadweight |
| Complement: | 267 officers and enlisted |
USS Firedrake (AE-14), a Wrangell-class ammunition ship was launched 12 May 1944 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C., as Winged Racer; sponsored by Mrs. R. M. Kitchins; acquired by the Navy 29 June 1944; and commissioned 27 December 1944 in Jacksonville, FL, Commander A. Elb, USNR, in command.
Service history[]
World War II[]
Firedrake loaded ammunition and general cargo at Earle, N.J., from which she sailed 16 February 1945 for Ulithi. Arriving 21 March, she put to sea 7 April to join the replenishment group servicing carriers off Okinawa and ships lying in the anchorages of the Kerama Retto. After reloading ammunition at Ulithi from 16 May to 4 June, she arrived in Leyte Gulf to issue explosives until 1 November, when she sailed for the east coast. She was decommissioned at Orange, Tex., 21 February 1946 and placed in reserve.
Korean War[]
Recommissioned 11 October 1951, Firedrake based at San Francisco for annual tours of duty in the western Pacific from 1952 through 1962. During the first two of these, she rearmed United Nations ships at sea off Korea during war operations. Highlights of the following years included participation in the evacuation of the Tachen Islands in 1955, and calls at a wide variety of oriental ports. When not deployed overseas, she has sailed out of her home port to replenish ships at sea in west coast operations.
Awards[]
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
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Firedrake received two battle stars for World War II service for the following campaigns:
| Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns | |
| Campaign and Dates | Campaign and Dates |
|---|---|
| Okinawa Gunto operation
Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to 30 June 1945 5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of the Okinawa Gunto operation, 11 April to 11 June 1945 |
3d Fleet operations against Japan, 15 August 1945 |
She also earned four for Korean War service for the following campaigns:
| Korean War Campaigns | |
| Campaign and Dates | Campaign and Dates |
|---|---|
| Second Korean Winter
15 to 18 April 1952 |
Third Korean Winter
6 to 14 March 1953 28 March to 4 April 1953 21 to 27 April 1953 |
| Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
3 to 12 May 1952 29 May to 8 June 1952 24 to 26 June 1952 3 to 15 July 1952 |
Korean Summer-Fall 1953
7 to12 May 1953 1 to13 and 18 to 27 June 1953 7 to 20 and 27 July 1953 |
USS Firedrake earned 6 battle stars in the Vietnam War for the following campaigns:
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two battle stars
- World War II Victory Medal
- National Defense Service Medal with star
- Korean Service Medal with four campaign stars
- Vietnam Service Medal
- Korean Presidential Unit Citation
- United Nations Korea Medal
- Korean War Service Medal
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links[]
_replenishing_Constellation_(CVA-64)_c1963.jpg){kind=link}
Firedrake replenishing USS Constellation (CVA-64), ca. 1963.
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The original article can be found at USS Firedrake (AE-14) and the edit history here.