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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Firedrake (AE-14)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Delta - Bravo NKDB
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Killer (K)ilo - Section 6A of JANAP 119(F) 1968

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korea Service Medal (4) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Taiwan Straits, Quemoy-Matsu, Vietnam
Fourth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (6) - Korean Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Mount Hood Class Ammunition Ship:

Laid down, date unknown, as SS Winged Racer, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1379) at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.

Launched, 12 May 1944

Loaned to the US Navy in June 1944

Commissioned USS Firedrake (AE-14), 27 December 1944. CDR. A. Elb, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Firedrake was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
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

Permanent title transfer from the Maritime Commission to the US Navy, 14 January 1946

Decommissioned, 24 July 1946, at Orange, TX.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group, Orange

Recommissioned, 11 October 1951

During the Korean War USS Firedrake participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
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 was assigned to China service from 30 January to 13 February 1955

During the Vietnam War USS Firedrake participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 5 to 10 July 1964 26 to 28 July 1964	Tet 69/Counteroffensive 27 February to 11 March 1969 19 to 25 March 1969 8 to 22 April 1969 4 to 8 June 1969
Vietnam Defense 24 November to 5 December 1965 14 to 21 December 1965	Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 9 to 21 June 1969 29 June to 25 July 1969 16 to 25 August 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 6 to 15 January 1966 28 January to 7 February 1966 27 February to 8 March 1966 25 March to 7 April 1966 27 April to 11 May 1966 14 to 18 May 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII 1 to 6 and 13 to 26 July 1970 1 to 3 August 1970 25 August to 6 September 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 5 to 24 December 1967

In Commission in Reserve, 27 Novemberr 1970 at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Vallejo, CA.

Decommissioned, 19 March 1971

Custody transferred to the Maritime Administration, 21 July 1971, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 15 July 1976

USS Firedrake earned two battle stars for World War II service, four battle stars for Korean War service, the armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with six campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Permanent title transfer from the US Navy to the Maritime Administration, 16 November 1977

Final Disposition, disposed of by Maritime Administration (MARAD) sale, 16 November 1977, to General Metals of Tacoma, Inc., for $121,666.81 (PD-X-1022 dated 11 August 1977)

Withdrawn from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet and delivered to General Metals of Tacoma at Suisun Bay, 28 December 1977

Specifications:
Displacement 13,910 t.(lt) 15,295 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 28' 3"
Speed 16.4 kts.

Cargo Capacity 7,725 DWT

non-refrigerated 400,000 cu ft.

Largest Boom Capacity 35 tons

Complement

Officers 23

Enlisted 244

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

two twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eight twin 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacity

NSFO 10,925 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric geared turbine

two Babcock and Wilcox header type boilers 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

three turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ships Service Generators

single propeller, 6,000shp

Photo from USS Firedrake cruisebook 1965-66.

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
09051427	67k	*Namesake* Firedrake - A fire-breathing dragon especially in Germanic mythology Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firedrake. Photo - Thought Co.com - CoreyFord / Getty Images	Tommy Trampp
	42k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** at the Yorktown Naval Mine Depot, circa late January 1946.	Photo by Richard Wagner USS Firedrake
	84k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way off San Francisco Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, 21 November 1952 after a routine overhaul. US Navy photo from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
	74k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way off the coast of Korea, June 1952.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	24k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way, circa 1954, location unknown.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
	161k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way in San Francisco Bay during Fleet Review, 13 June 1957. Photo ©Allied Photographers of San Francisco.	Robert M. Cieri
	50k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way in 1962, location unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	82k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine November 1963	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	56k	Broadside view of *USS Firedrake* (AE-14) departing Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 17 August 1956. Firedrake was at Mare Island undergoing repairs from 13 June to 17 August 1956. The tug forward appears to he one of the YTMs Mare Island built and the aft tug appears to be either Awatobi (YTB-264)** or Dekaury (YTB-178). Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo # 30736-8-56, 8/17/56.	Darryl Baker
	133k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way in 1957, location unknown.	Russell Cole ET2 USS Firedrake
	44k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14) replenishing USS Coontz (DLG-9) to starboard and USS Ranger (CVA-61)** to port, during a WESTPAC in the early 1960s. US Navy photo	EMC(SW) Brian Kroenung
09051425	46k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14) during an underway replenishment with USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63)** off the coast of Vietnam circa 1963.	Yu Chu
09051424	108k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14) during an underway replenishment with USS Constellation (CVA-64)** off the coast of Vietnam circa 1963. Photo from USS Firedrake cruisebook 1965-66.	Yu Chu
	92k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way, 29 January 1964, location unknown. US Navy photo # USN 100777 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
	103k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** holds her position while an unidentified aircraft carrier approaches on her port side to begin an underway replenishment, date and place unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine February 1964	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
09051426	130k	A U.S. Navy Kaman UH-2B Seasprite (BuNo 150162) of Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC-1) Det.C "Pacific Fleet Angels" on the flight deck of *USS Firedrake* (AE-14) off Vietnam, circa 1965. HC-1 Det.C was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11** (CVW-11) aboard the aircraft carrier *USS Kitty Hawk* (CVA-63) for a deployment to Vietnam from 19 October 1965 to 13 June 1966. During that cruise, 150162 crashed during take-off from Kitty Hawk** 15 April 1966, killing two of the crew and injuring five. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Firedrake (AE-14) 1965-66 cruise book	Robert Hurst
	161k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way in 1967, location unknown. US Navy photo.	Robert Hurst
	206k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14) coming alongside USS England (DLG-22) while underway in the Pacific Ocean during England**'s WESTPAC deployment in 1967.	John Spivey USS England
09051523	49k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** underway off the coast of Vietnam in 1967 Photo by Chip Morse	Yu Chu
	89k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14) replenishing USS Buchanan (DDG-14) off her starboard side and USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14)** off her port side, 14 May 1969. US Navy photo	Jim Flanders EM3 USN USS Firedrake
	109k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14) replenishing USS Buchanan (DDG-14) off her starboard side and USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14)** off her port side, 14 May 1969. US Navy photo	Chet Morris
	199k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way in the Pacific Ocean in 1969. US Navy photo.	Mike Smolinski
	71k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	63k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** alongside a CVS during an underway replenishment, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	87k	*USS Firedrake* (AE-14)** under way, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.

For more photos and information about USS Firedrake, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
MARAD Vessel History Database
AE/AOE Sailors Association

Commanding Officers
	LT. Guyon, Elmer Edward, USNR (Ferry Command Crew # 1)	16 June 1944 - 26 June 1944
	Decommissioned	26 June 1944 - 27 December 1944
01	CDR. Elb, Aloysius	27 December 1944 - 15 February 1945
03	LT. Fleming, Eugene Samuel, USN	September 1945 - 24 July 1946
	Decommissioned	24 July 1946 - 11 October 1951
04	CAPT. Rodiman, Warner Scott	11 October 1951 - 15 August 1952
05	CAPT. Hull, Harry :RADM	15 August 1952 - 21 May 1953
06	CAPT. Brown, Carl Wallace	21 May 1953 - July 1954
07	CAPT. Close, Robert Hamilton	July 1954 - 25 July 1955
08	CAPT. Bowman, Merle Francis	25 July 1955 - 30 July 1956
09	CAPT. Bull, Edward Carl :RADM	30 July 1956 - July 1957
10	CAPT. Doss Jr., Clarence Thomas	July 1957 - 1 August 1958
11	CAPT. Mann, Hoyt Dobbs	1 August 1958 - 21 September 1959
12	CAPT. Vejtasa, Stanley Winfield (Swede), USN	21 September 1959 - 8 August 1960
13	CDR. Bundy, Clifford William	8 August 1960 - 22 August 1961
14	CDR. Parks, John Edward	22 August 1961 - 11 July 1962
15	CAPT. Costagliola, Francesco (Francis)	11 July 1962 - 27 July 1963
16	CAPT. McClendon, William Roger, USN :RADM	27 July 1963 - July 1964
17	CAPT. Netting, Robert Wesley, USN (USNA 1944)	July 1964 - 31 July 1965
18	CAPT. O'Connor, Harry Newman, USN	31 July 1965 - 18 August 1966
19	CAPT. Mahoney, George Raymond, USNR	18 August 1966 - August 1967
20	CAPT. Lee, Clyde Jameson	August 1967 - October 1968
21	CAPT. Bennett Jr., Arthur King USN (USNA 1946)	October 1968 - January 1970
22	CAPT. Henderson, Jerome Edward, USN (USNA 1946)	January 1970 - 9 December 1970
23	CDR. Herbert, Leo Ernest	9 December 1970 - 19 March 1971


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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Last Updated 5 May 2024