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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Lost to enemy action, 2 April 1945

USS Dickerson (APD-21)
ex
 USS Dickerson (DD-157) (1920 - 1943)
 USS Dickerson (Destroyer #157) (1919 - 1920)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - India - Mike
 NJIM
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - Okinawa) - American Defense Service Medal (with bronze star in lieu of Fleet clasp)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (1)
Personnel Awards

Purple Heart (54 KIA/ MIA, 2 April 1945, off Okinawa)
Wickes Class Destroyer:
  • Laid Down, 5 March 1918, at New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden, N.J.
  • Launched, 12 March 1919
  • Commissioned USS Dickerson (Destroyer #157), 3 September 1919, CDR. Frederick . V. McNair Jr. USN in command
  • Designated (DD-157) 17 July 1920
  • Decommissioned, 26 June 1922, at New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Recommissioned 1 May 1930
  • Converted to High-speed Transport at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.
  • Designated (APD-21), 21 August 1943
  • During World War II USS Dickerson was assigned to the American Theater, Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, Commander South Pacific Force and South Pacific Area TransDiv Fourteen and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Green Island landing, 15 to 19 February 1944     		Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 18 January 1945
    Hollandia operation
    Aitape Humboldt Bay-Tanahmerah Bay, 21 April and 1 to 7 May 1944     		Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 21 February to 11 March 1945
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Saipan, 14 June to 2 July 1944
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 14 to 29 July 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 20 March to 4 April 1945

  • Final Disposition, lost to enemy action, 2 April 1945, hit by Japanese Kamikaze forcing her crew to abandon ship. Her hulk was towed to Kerama Retto and then out to sea and scuttled 4 April 1945
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS Dickerson (APD-21) earned six battle stars for World War II service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 1,060 t.
    Length 314' 4"
    Beam 30' 6"
    Draft 11' 4"
    Speed 28.7 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 8
    Enlisted 98
    Troop Accommodations Enlisted 144
    Boats 4 LCP(L) landing craft
    Armament
    three single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts
    two single 40mm AA gun mounts
    five single 20mm AA gun mounts
    one depth charge track
    four depth charge projectors
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 2,380 Bbls
    Diesel 55 Bbls
    Propulsion
    two New York Shipbuilding Parsons-type geared turbines
    two Thornycroft boilers, 250psi Sat°
    single De Laval Main Reduction Gears
    two turbo-drive 60Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    two propellers, 26,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Dickerson
    100402101    		 174k USS Dickerson (APD-21) steaming west off the entrance to Chesapeake Bay (Position 36 57'N, 75 38'W. Course 270) on 3 October 1943. Photographed from a ZP-14 blimp based at Naval Air Station Weeksville, North Carolina.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-87083 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 Caption Robert Hurst
    Photo Rick Davis
    Dickerson
    100402102    		 143k USS Dickerson (APD-21) steaming past USS California (BB-44), 12 June 1944 while approaching Saipan.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-87083 a US Navy photo now in the collection of the US National Archives.    		 Rick Davis
    Dickerson
    100402103
    80-G-257204    		 214k USS Dickerson (APD-21) refueling from USS New Mexico (BB-40) off the Marianas, 18 August 1944.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-257204, 80-G-257203 and 80-G-257202 US Navy photos now in the collection of the US National Archives.    		 Rick Davis
    Dickerson
    100402104
    80-G-257203    		 245k
    Dickerson
    100402105
    80-G-257202    		 226k
    USS Dickerson (DD-157 / APD-21)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    APD-21 Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Cain, John Robert, USNR10 February 1943 - July 1944
    02LCDR. Lounsbrry, Ralph Emerson, USNRJanuary 1945 - 2 April 1945 (KIA)
    03LT. McEwen, Alexander Grant, USN (USNA-1943 (O-in-C)2 April 1945 - 2 April 1945
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    "The Green Dragons" Four-stack APD destroyer-transports in World War Two
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Destroyer (DD) Index Back To The Dickerson (DD-157) Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The High-speed Transport (APD) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 16 October 2020