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USS Dorsey (DD-117)
Encyclopedia
USS Dorsey (DD–117) was a Wickes class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during the World War I
. She was named for John Dorsey.
Dorsey was launched 9 April 1918 by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
; sponsored by Mrs. A. Means, distant relative of Midshipman Dorsey; and commissioned 16 September 1918, Commander
G. F. Neal in command.
, and returned to New York 19 October. Between 28 October and 20 November, she voyaged on escort duty to the Azores
, then operated locally out of New York until 13 January 1919 when she got underway for target practice and fleet maneuvers in Cuba
n waters, returning 2 March. Three days later she sailed to escort with President Woodrow Wilson
embarked as far as the Azores, returning to Guantánamo Bay 21 March to join the Fleet for maneuvers.
Dorsey sailed from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, 9 April 1919, and arrived at Valetta, Malta
, 26 April to report to Commander, Adriatic Squadron, for duty in the execution of the terms of the armistice
with Austria
. She served in the Mediterranean until 9 July when she proceeded to New York arriving on the 21st.
Dorsey sailed from New York with her division 17 September 1919 for the west coast, arriving at San Diego 12 October. She joined in fleet maneuvers in the Panama Canal Zone
and operated with seaplanes at Valparaíso
, Chile
, until clearing San Diego 25 June 1921 to join the Asiatic Fleet.
Dorsey arrived at Cavite
, Philippine Islands, 24 August 1921, and served in experimental submarine practice and long-range battle and torpedo practice. On 3 June 1922, she sailed from Manila
to call at Shanghai
and Chefoo, China
, Nagasaki, Japan
, and Pearl Harbor
on her passage to San Francisco where she arrived 2 October. She was placed out of commission at San Diego 9 March 1923.
Recommissioned 1 March 1930, Dorsey operated on the west coast, in the Canal Zone, and in the Hawaii
an Islands acting as plane guard for carriers and participating in tactical maneuvers with the fleet. In reserve from 10 June to 29 June 1935, she then entered Mare Island Navy Yard for the installation of gear for her new assignment as a high-speed towing vessel.
Dorsey continued to operate from San Diego providing high-speed target towing for ships in training along the west coast, in the Canal Zone, and, between 29 December 1938 and 25 April 1939, in the Caribbean. From 3 July 1940 she was based at Pearl Harbor. She entered Pearl Harbor Navy Yard 6 November for conversion to a high-speed minesweeper
and was reclassified DMS-1 on 19 November 1940.
7 December 1941, Dorsey was at sea with TF 3 bound for Johnson Island
. The force returned to its base on the 9th, and Dorsey was assigned to the Hawaiian Sea Frontier for patrol, local escort, and training duty. Except for overhaul at San Francisco from 1 January to 11 February 1943, she remained on this duty until 24 September 1943.
After scouting convoys to Efate
, New Hebrides
, and Noumea
, New Caledonia
, Dorsey sailed to the Solomon Islands
for patrol and minesweeping operations. She swept and patrolled off Cape Torokina
, Bougainville
, and screened transports during the landings of 1 November, returning on 8 November and 13 November with reinforcement and supply convoys. She escorted from her base at Port Purvis to Neoumea until 29 March 1944, then screened transports between Port Purvis, Kwajalein
, Manus
, and New Georgia
until arriving at Majuro
12 May for duty towing targets at high speed for ships in training. From 20 June to 9 July she guarded convoys between Kwajalein and Eniwetok, then escorted to Pearl Harbor, and proceeded to San Francisco for overhaul.
Returning to Pearl Harbor 1 October 1944, Dorsey had towing duty and joined in minesweeping experiments until 9 November when she got underway as convoy escort for Port Purvis. On 1 December, she arrived at Manus for minesweeping operations until 23 December. Continuing to San Pedro Bay
, Leyte, Dorsey sortied on 2 January 1945 for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf
. During the preinvasion minesweeping she accounted for several attacking planes and rescued five survivors from stricken .
Dorsey arrived off Iwo Jima
for preinvasion mine-sweeping 16 February 1945. She patrolled during the assault landings, and towed to safety 18 February. She sailed from Iwo Jima 1 March for Ulithi
to prepare for the invasion of Okinawa, where she arrived 25 March to sweep mines. On the 27th she was struck a glancing blow by a kamikaze
which killed three of her crew and wounded two. Dorsey remained on duty, screening assault shipping during the landings of 1 April and patrolling until the 4th when she departed for Pearl Harbor and battle damage repairs.
Returning to Okinawa 1 July 1945, Dorsey joined the minesweeping unit operating in conjunction with the 3rd Fleet raids on the Japanese home islands. She sailed on 14 September for minesweeping operations in the Van Diemen Straits, returning to Okinawa five days later. On 9 October, she was grounded by a severe typhoon. Decommissioned 8 December 1945, her battered hulk was destroyed 1 January 1946.
As of 2004, no other ships in the United States Navy have gone by this name.
during the First Barbary War
.
Born in Maryland
, Dorsey was appointed midshipman
28 April 1801. He was killed 7 August 1804 in the attack on Tripoli
in north Africa
when Gunboat No. 9 was blown up by an enemy shell.
In his honour, the USS Dorsey was named after him.
Wickes class destroyer
The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She was named for John Dorsey.
Dorsey was launched 9 April 1918 by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
; sponsored by Mrs. A. Means, distant relative of Midshipman Dorsey; and commissioned 16 September 1918, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
G. F. Neal in command.
Service history
Dorsey sailed with a merchant convoy from Philadelphia 20 September 1918, escorted it to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and returned to New York 19 October. Between 28 October and 20 November, she voyaged on escort duty to the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, then operated locally out of New York until 13 January 1919 when she got underway for target practice and fleet maneuvers in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n waters, returning 2 March. Three days later she sailed to escort with President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
embarked as far as the Azores, returning to Guantánamo Bay 21 March to join the Fleet for maneuvers.
Dorsey sailed from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, 9 April 1919, and arrived at Valetta, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, 26 April to report to Commander, Adriatic Squadron, for duty in the execution of the terms of the armistice
Armistice with Austria
The Armistice of villa Giusti ended warfare between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I. The armistice was signed on November 3, 1918 in the Villa Giusti and was to take effect 24 hours later.-Background:...
with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. She served in the Mediterranean until 9 July when she proceeded to New York arriving on the 21st.
Dorsey sailed from New York with her division 17 September 1919 for the west coast, arriving at San Diego 12 October. She joined in fleet maneuvers in the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
and operated with seaplanes at Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, until clearing San Diego 25 June 1921 to join the Asiatic Fleet.
Dorsey arrived at Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, Philippine Islands, 24 August 1921, and served in experimental submarine practice and long-range battle and torpedo practice. On 3 June 1922, she sailed from Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
to call at Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Chefoo, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Nagasaki, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on her passage to San Francisco where she arrived 2 October. She was placed out of commission at San Diego 9 March 1923.
Recommissioned 1 March 1930, Dorsey operated on the west coast, in the Canal Zone, and in the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an Islands acting as plane guard for carriers and participating in tactical maneuvers with the fleet. In reserve from 10 June to 29 June 1935, she then entered Mare Island Navy Yard for the installation of gear for her new assignment as a high-speed towing vessel.
Dorsey continued to operate from San Diego providing high-speed target towing for ships in training along the west coast, in the Canal Zone, and, between 29 December 1938 and 25 April 1939, in the Caribbean. From 3 July 1940 she was based at Pearl Harbor. She entered Pearl Harbor Navy Yard 6 November for conversion to a high-speed minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
and was reclassified DMS-1 on 19 November 1940.
World War II
When the Japanese attacked Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
7 December 1941, Dorsey was at sea with TF 3 bound for Johnson Island
Johnson Island
Johnson Island is a bar in the Greenbrier River at its confluence with Muddy Creek in Alderson, West Virginia. The island lies in Greenbrier County, with the Alderson Federal Prison Camp located to its southwest across the county line in Summers County....
. The force returned to its base on the 9th, and Dorsey was assigned to the Hawaiian Sea Frontier for patrol, local escort, and training duty. Except for overhaul at San Francisco from 1 January to 11 February 1943, she remained on this duty until 24 September 1943.
After scouting convoys to Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, and Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, Dorsey sailed to the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
for patrol and minesweeping operations. She swept and patrolled off Cape Torokina
Cape Torokina
Cape Torokina is a promontory at the north end of Empress Augusta Bay, along the central part of the southeastern coast of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea....
, Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, and screened transports during the landings of 1 November, returning on 8 November and 13 November with reinforcement and supply convoys. She escorted from her base at Port Purvis to Neoumea until 29 March 1944, then screened transports between Port Purvis, Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
, Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, and New Georgia
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
until arriving at Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
12 May for duty towing targets at high speed for ships in training. From 20 June to 9 July she guarded convoys between Kwajalein and Eniwetok, then escorted to Pearl Harbor, and proceeded to San Francisco for overhaul.
Returning to Pearl Harbor 1 October 1944, Dorsey had towing duty and joined in minesweeping experiments until 9 November when she got underway as convoy escort for Port Purvis. On 1 December, she arrived at Manus for minesweeping operations until 23 December. Continuing to San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, Leyte, Dorsey sortied on 2 January 1945 for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
. During the preinvasion minesweeping she accounted for several attacking planes and rescued five survivors from stricken .
Dorsey arrived off Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
for preinvasion mine-sweeping 16 February 1945. She patrolled during the assault landings, and towed to safety 18 February. She sailed from Iwo Jima 1 March for Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
to prepare for the invasion of Okinawa, where she arrived 25 March to sweep mines. On the 27th she was struck a glancing blow by a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
which killed three of her crew and wounded two. Dorsey remained on duty, screening assault shipping during the landings of 1 April and patrolling until the 4th when she departed for Pearl Harbor and battle damage repairs.
Returning to Okinawa 1 July 1945, Dorsey joined the minesweeping unit operating in conjunction with the 3rd Fleet raids on the Japanese home islands. She sailed on 14 September for minesweeping operations in the Van Diemen Straits, returning to Okinawa five days later. On 9 October, she was grounded by a severe typhoon. Decommissioned 8 December 1945, her battered hulk was destroyed 1 January 1946.
Awards
Dorsey received six battle stars for World War II service.As of 2004, no other ships in the United States Navy have gone by this name.
John Dorsey
John Dorsey (about 1780 - 7 August 1804) was an officer in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the First Barbary War
First Barbary War
The First Barbary War , also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War, was the first of two wars fought between the United States and the North African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States...
.
Born in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Dorsey was appointed midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
28 April 1801. He was killed 7 August 1804 in the attack on Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
in north Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
when Gunboat No. 9 was blown up by an enemy shell.
In his honour, the USS Dorsey was named after him.
See also
- List of United States Navy destroyers
- 1940–49 Pacific typhoon seasons#1945 Pacific typhoon season, Typhoon Louise