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USS Sierra (AD 18)

USS SIERRA was the fourth DIXIE - class destroyer tender and the second ship in the Navy named after the mountain range in eastern California. Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on October 15, 1993, the SIERRA was sold for scrapping on August 25, 1995.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS SIERRA. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS SIERRA Cruise Books:

• Mediterranean Cruise Book 1951
• Mediterranean Cruise Book 1959
• Mediterranean and Indian Ocean Cruise Book 1982
• Mediterranean Cruise Book 1991-92

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USS SIERRA History:

USS SIERRA was laid down by the Tampa Shipbuilding Company at Tampa, Florida, on December 31, 1941, only a few weeks after the United States entered World War II. She was launched on February 23, 1943, sponsored by Mrs. F. M. Earle, and commissioned at Tampa on March 20, 1944, with Captain Paul B. Koonce in command. After completing fitting-out work at Tampa, SIERRA sailed on April 13, 1944, for Hampton Roads, Virginia, proceeding by way of Key West, Florida. She arrived at Hampton Roads on April 18 and began a ten-day shakedown period in Chesapeake Bay on April 19. At the conclusion of shakedown, she entered Norfolk Navy Yard on April 28 for post-shakedown availability, remaining there until May 17 while deficiencies and additional requirements identified during the training period were addressed.

SIERRA departed Norfolk on May 18, 1944, for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal and continued to San Diego, California. After approximately five days there, she sailed again on June 7 and reached Pearl Harbor on June 13. Her arrival coincided with intense Pacific Fleet preparations and operations associated with the Marianas campaign. From June 13 through September 3, SIERRA serviced destroyers and destroyer escorts at Pearl Harbor, carrying out the mechanical, electrical, structural, weapons and other maintenance for which she had been designed. During one recorded nine-day period, her repair organization logged 21,393 man-hours of work involving 65 ships, illustrating the volume of maintenance being undertaken as combatants prepared for or returned from operations in the Central Pacific.

On September 3, 1944, SIERRA left Pearl Harbor and proceeded westward to Seeadler Harbor at Manus in the Admiralty Islands, where she joined the Third Fleet service organization. Manus had developed into one of the principal advanced logistics bases supporting the operations that were moving American naval power toward the Philippines. SIERRA remained there into February 1945, repairing and maintaining ships returning from combat operations.

Among the more substantial jobs undertaken during the Manus period was the replacement of an entire 5-inch gun mount aboard USS CALIFORNIA (BB 44). SIERRA also reconstructed the starboard stern of USS CLAXTON (DD 571) after the destroyer had suffered severe damage from a Japanese suicide aircraft during operations in the Philippines. These jobs illustrate the scale of work that a large destroyer tender could undertake at a forward anchorage. SIERRA's function was not limited to routine servicing or minor machinery work; her workshops and repair personnel could perform substantial structural, ordnance and engineering repairs when circumstances and available material permitted.

SIERRA departed Seeadler Harbor on February 18, 1945, and proceeded to Purvis Bay in the Solomon Islands. There, her repair organization worked on tank landing ships and other vessels associated with amphibious operations during the closing phase of the Pacific campaign. Maintaining landing ships was an important component of the logistical system supporting the movement of personnel, vehicles, equipment and supplies toward the remaining Japanese defensive positions.

On March 15, 1945, SIERRA moved from the Solomon Islands to Ulithi Atoll in the western Caroline Islands. Ulithi had become the principal forward anchorage for the Fifth Fleet and functioned as an enormous floating naval base during operations against Iwo Jima, Okinawa and the Japanese home islands. SIERRA remained there until May 25, servicing ships operating with the Fifth Fleet. The Okinawa campaign, whose principal landings began on April 1, placed particularly heavy demands on forward repair organizations because of the sustained tempo of naval operations and the large number of ships damaged by Japanese suicide aircraft.

On May 25, SIERRA departed Ulithi for San Pedro Bay in Leyte Gulf, Philippines. At Leyte she repaired landing craft support vessels, destroyers and other fleet units while preparations continued for operations against Japan. By the summer of 1945, American naval planning increasingly centered on continued strikes against the Japanese home islands and preparations for a possible invasion, and SIERRA remained positioned within the forward logistics organization intended to sustain those forces.

The strategic situation changed abruptly in August 1945. Japan announced its acceptance of the Allied surrender terms on August 14, eliminating the requirement for the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. SIERRA remained in the western Pacific and was reassigned to duties associated with the occupation and the postwar redistribution of naval forces.

On September 6, 1945, SIERRA departed the Philippines and proceeded first to Buckner Bay, Okinawa. She subsequently continued to Jinsen, Korea, the port now known as Incheon, as Allied forces entered former Japanese-controlled territories to accept surrenders, supervise repatriation and establish occupation arrangements. From Korea SIERRA continued to China and arrived at Shanghai on October 12. Shanghai became SIERRA's principal operating location during the following months. She remained there until February 6, 1946, providing repair and tender services during the complicated postwar transition in China. Japanese forces and civilians were being disarmed and repatriated while the military and political struggle between the Chinese Nationalist government and Communist forces resumed. American naval forces maintained a presence at several Chinese ports during this period, and SIERRA formed part of the support organization sustaining those forces.

SIERRA departed Shanghai on February 6, 1946, and returned across the Pacific to the San Francisco Bay area for shipyard work. She subsequently resumed western Pacific service rather than entering the inactive fleet. Her China-related service continued during 1946 and 1947, with a qualifying China Service Medal period extending from March 16, 1946, through February 11, 1947. A Navy photograph dated October 12, 1946, again places SIERRA at Shanghai. The deployment occurred as the Chinese Civil War expanded and the position of the Nationalist government on the mainland became progressively more difficult.

SIERRA later returned to Chinese waters for another period of qualifying China service extending from September 9, 1948, through March 9, 1949. This period coincided with the decisive phase of the Chinese Civil War, during which Communist forces gained control of increasingly large parts of mainland China while American diplomatic and naval authorities reduced or repositioned their presence at Chinese ports. The final western Pacific deployment of this phase of SIERRA's career ended when she arrived at San Diego on April 8, 1949. The Navy then reassigned the tender from the Pacific to the Atlantic Fleet. Approximately two months later, she began the transfer eastward and ultimately reached Norfolk, Virginia, on July 29. Norfolk became her principal home port and remained central to her activities for much of the following quarter-century.

From Norfolk, SIERRA provided repair services to Atlantic Fleet destroyers and other ships until January 6, 1950, when she departed on her first deployment with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. She relieved USS SHENANDOAH (AD 26) as a forward repair tender. The deployment occurred during the early phase of the Cold War, less than a year after the establishment of NATO and at a time when the United States was developing an increasingly permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean. SIERRA's facilities allowed Sixth Fleet ships to receive substantial maintenance without returning to the United States. She completed the deployment and returned to Norfolk on June 24.

After approximately a year of Atlantic Fleet service from Norfolk, SIERRA departed again on June 12, 1951, for a second Sixth Fleet deployment. The Korean War was underway in East Asia while tensions between the Western powers and the Soviet bloc remained high in Europe and the Mediterranean. SIERRA again performed fleet maintenance duties in support of the American naval presence and returned to Norfolk on November 6.

On November 7, 1951, one day after her return, SIERRA became flagship for Commander, Destroyer Flotilla 4. In addition to her repair role, the tender's communications facilities, office spaces and accommodations made her suitable for supporting a major destroyer-force staff. She retained this flagship function for more than a decade. For much of the 1950s SIERRA remained based at Norfolk and supported Atlantic Fleet ships, with local operations and exercises interrupting the normal routine of alongside maintenance. Her most prolonged periods away from Norfolk during 1953 were associated with Operation Springboard, the recurring Atlantic Fleet training program conducted in Caribbean waters to give ships and crews concentrated operational training under favorable winter conditions. SIERRA supported Springboard activities from January 6 through March 2, 1953, and again from November 9 through December 4.

During the remainder of the decade, SIERRA continued her primary function at Norfolk while the composition and technology of the Atlantic Fleet changed substantially. World War II destroyers remained numerous, but newer antisubmarine equipment, radar systems, electronics and guided weapons were entering fleet service. The tender's repair organization therefore increasingly had to maintain equipment considerably more sophisticated than that carried by the ships for which she had originally been designed.

SIERRA began another major Mediterranean deployment on June 30, 1959. She again operated within the Sixth Fleet support organization, providing repair and tender services during a period in which the Mediterranean remained one of the principal areas of confrontation between NATO and the Soviet bloc. USS CASSIN YOUNG (DD 793) was among the destroyers photographed alongside SIERRA during the deployment. SIERRA completed the cruise and returned to Norfolk on December 13.

During 1960 and much of 1961, SIERRA resumed Atlantic Fleet support duties from Norfolk. The international situation in Europe became particularly tense during 1961 as the confrontation over Berlin intensified. Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, and the United States subsequently activated reserve personnel and ships as part of its military response to the crisis.

On October 23, 1961, SIERRA departed for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where she tended reserve training ships that had been recalled to active duty during the Berlin Crisis. She remained engaged in this support assignment until December 14. Her service in Cuban waters qualified for Navy Expeditionary Medal credit from October 26 through December 12.

SIERRA entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard on March 27, 1962, for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization II conversion. The FRAM program was intended to extend the useful service life of existing ships and update their ability to support the contemporary fleet. During the yard period, on July 1, Destroyer Flotilla 4 was redesignated Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla 4, and SIERRA consequently became flagship for Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla 4. The overhaul was completed on September 15, 1962, and SIERRA returned to operational service. She subsequently recorded another period of Navy Expeditionary Medal qualifying service in Cuban waters from September 28 through October 12. This occurred shortly before the public confrontation that developed into the Cuban Missile Crisis later in October.

From 1963 through the early 1970s, SIERRA's activities were concentrated primarily along the United States East Coast, especially at Norfolk. She serviced destroyers, frigates, cruisers and other fleet units undergoing scheduled tender availabilities, predeployment maintenance and repairs after operational periods. Although this phase of her career generated fewer widely recorded individual events than her World War II deployments, it represented a substantial portion of her working life and involved thousands of individual repair jobs.

A useful illustration of the scale of these operations survives from February 26, 1967, when SIERRA was photographed at San Juan, Puerto Rico, with six destroyers alongside simultaneously. The ships were USS BASILONE (DD 824), USS FISKE (DD 842), USS DAVIS (DD 937), USS RICHARD E. KRAUS (DD 849), USS HARWOOD (DD 861) and USS GYATT (DD 712).

Throughout these years, SIERRA's role developed in parallel with the changing composition of the fleet. The gun-armed World War II destroyers that had formed the principal clientele of the DIXIE-class tenders were gradually modernized, transferred or retired, while guided-missile destroyers, frigates and newer antisubmarine vessels increasingly required support. SIERRA nevertheless remained in active commission and continued adapting her maintenance organization to new types of equipment.

On January 5, 1974, SIERRA shifted from Norfolk to Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston thereafter became her principal home port for the remainder of her United States Navy career. From there, she supported Atlantic Fleet and Sixth Fleet units and prepared for periodic overseas deployments.

SIERRA returned to the Mediterranean during 1977. The deployment placed her once again within the Sixth Fleet maintenance organization after an extended period centered primarily on the western Atlantic. On July 2, 1977, she was at Barcelona, Spain. During her Mediterranean deployments of this period, she also operated from ports in Italy and elsewhere around the Mediterranean, allowing deployed American ships to undergo repair and upkeep without returning to the United States.

Another Mediterranean deployment followed during 1978 and 1979. On March 1, 1979, SIERRA was photographed at Genoa, Italy. These cruises occurred during a period in which Sixth Fleet activity combined routine NATO training and surveillance with continuing instability in the Middle East and the broader strategic competition between the United States and Soviet Union. The composition of SIERRA's own crew was also changing. On April 18, 1979, Navy policy formally included SIERRA among the destroyer tenders authorized for permanent assignment of women. The decision formed part of the wider expansion of regular sea duty for women aboard selected noncombatant naval vessels. Alterations required to support a mixed-gender crew were incorporated during SIERRA's subsequent major overhaul.

In September 1979, SIERRA proceeded toward Mobile, Alabama, for scheduled overhaul shortly after Hurricane Frederic had struck the Gulf Coast. Frederic came ashore on September 12 and caused extensive damage to the Mobile area and surrounding communities. SIERRA reached the area soon after the hurricane and entered the planned shipyard period. During the opening months of the overhaul, members of SIERRA's crew assisted local authorities and residents with recovery and cleanup work in Mobile. Their contribution to the hurricane relief effort resulted in Humanitarian Service Medal recognition. The overhaul also included modifications to provide suitable living accommodations for women officers as women began serving permanently aboard the tender.

After completing the yard period, SIERRA returned to Charleston and resumed Atlantic Fleet operations. Training and workups included periods at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as the crew restored operational proficiency following the extended overhaul. An example of SIERRA's continuing repair workload involved the recently commissioned SPRUANCE-class destroyer USS JOHN RODGERS (DD 983). After completing a retrofit period on May 17, 1981, JOHN RODGERS immediately entered an intermediate maintenance availability supported by SIERRA. The availability continued through June 12. The work demonstrated how far SIERRA's maintenance responsibilities had evolved since 1944: instead of servicing primarily steam-powered gun destroyers, her personnel were now supporting modern gas-turbine warships with substantially more complex electronic and combat systems.

In 1982, SIERRA undertook a major deployment that extended from the Mediterranean into the Indian Ocean. She was away from the United States from July 20 through December 21. The deployment reflected the increased strategic importance of the Indian Ocean following the Iranian Revolution, the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War. Diego Garcia had become a major forward support point for United States naval forces operating in the region, and SIERRA provided tender services within the Indian Ocean support system.

During August and September 1982, the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS JACKSONVILLE (SSN 699) underwent upkeep with SIERRA. SIERRA's presence within the Indian Ocean logistics structure provided repair capabilities to ships and submarines operating far from the major naval bases and shipyards of the continental United States and Europe. After returning from the 1982 deployment, SIERRA resumed fleet maintenance operations from Charleston.

From March 12 through March 31, 1985, SIERRA participated in ReadEx 1-85, a fleet readiness exercise. Later that year, she again deployed into the Indian Ocean support system and spent part of the deployment at Diego Garcia, where several deployed combatants received maintenance. USS COCHRANE (DDG 21) underwent a tender availability with SIERRA at Diego Garcia from July 7 through July 12, 1985, before returning to operations in the North Arabian Sea. Later in the month, USS KNOX (FF 1052) arrived at Diego Garcia on July 23 and remained through July 28 for maintenance alongside SIERRA. Another combatant to use her facilities during the deployment was USS STERETT (CG 31), which arrived at Diego Garcia on August 24, 1985, and began a five-day tender availability with SIERRA. These ships were operating during the Iran-Iraq War, when the United States maintained a continuing naval presence in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and approaches to the Persian Gulf.

Following the 1985 deployment, SIERRA returned to Atlantic Fleet service from Charleston. Between overseas cruises she continued the regular cycle of tender maintenance in which ships came alongside for individual repairs, larger intermediate maintenance availabilities and predeployment work.

SIERRA deployed to the Mediterranean again during 1987 and 1988. USS JESSE L. BROWN (FF 1089) underwent an availability with SIERRA at Gaeta, Italy, from November 12 through November 25, 1987. The frigate subsequently continued Sixth Fleet operations. By January 1988, SIERRA was at Genoa, Italy. JESSE L. BROWN arrived there on January 9 and began another intermediate maintenance availability alongside SIERRA that continued through January 25. After the overseas deployment, SIERRA crossed the Atlantic with returning fleet units. On March 29, JESSE L. BROWN returned to Charleston in company with SIERRA and USS THORN (DD 988), marking the conclusion of another Mediterranean support cycle.

SIERRA continued operations from Charleston during 1989. On May 31, she was present during ceremonies connected with the decommissioning and transfer of USS KOELSCH (FF 1049) to Pakistan. The event formed part of a wider process in which a number of older American frigates were transferred to allied navies while the United States fleet increasingly consisted of newer gas-turbine and guided-missile ships.

Another Mediterranean deployment followed in 1990. USS GRAPPLE (ARS 53) arrived at Gaeta, Italy, on June 5 and remained there through June 20 for an intermediate maintenance availability with SIERRA. Later in the summer, SIERRA operated at Palma de Mallorca, Spain, where USS PAUL (FF 1080) was photographed alongside her in July.

The geopolitical situation changed substantially during the latter part of 1990. Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, prompting the United States and its allies to begin the major military buildup known as Operation Desert Shield. SIERRA's repair organization formed part of the broader Atlantic Fleet infrastructure supporting ships associated with the expanding American naval presence in the Middle East.

USS ROBERT G. BRADLEY (FFG 49) returned from a Middle East Force deployment to Charleston on December 4, 1990, and entered an intermediate maintenance availability with SIERRA on December 5. The availability continued through December 31. Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, when coalition forces commenced combat operations to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait. During the conflict and its aftermath SIERRA continued providing maintenance support to naval forces associated with the operation. Her role remained within the fleet repair and support system. Following the end of the main Desert Storm combat phase on February 28, ships returned through Atlantic ports for maintenance, repairs and crew recovery. SIERRA continued to function from Charleston as part of the infrastructure supporting this return and reconstitution process.

Later in 1991, SIERRA began another Mediterranean deployment, documented by her 1991-1992 cruise book. The deployment continued into 1992 and again placed her within the Sixth Fleet maintenance structure. During February 1992, the recently commissioned Aegis guided-missile cruiser USS MONTEREY (CG 61), following exercises with the Italian Navy, entered Naples and underwent an intermediate maintenance availability with SIERRA. United States Navy photographs from the 1992 deployment also place SIERRA with forces associated with the carrier battle group centered on USS AMERICA (CV 66). Her presence provided the deployed group and other Sixth Fleet units with a forward repair and maintenance capability during Mediterranean operations.

After returning to the United States, SIERRA became involved in one of the largest domestic disaster-relief operations of her career. Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida on August 24, 1992, causing catastrophic destruction, particularly in southern Dade County. Federal, state and local authorities organized a large relief operation, and Navy ships and personnel were ordered to assist. Within approximately 26 hours of receiving notification, SIERRA was underway for South Florida. Her machine and repair shops, engineering personnel, electricians, construction skills, food-service facilities and other resources could be adapted to shore-based relief work. SIERRA was among the first Navy ships to reach the affected area and remained there through the later stages of the naval relief operation.

Members of SIERRA's crew worked on damaged schools and community facilities. In less than one month, they participated in restoring twelve schools, including substantial work at Pine Lake Elementary School in southern Dade County. SIERRA personnel also helped establish a tent city, provided support for Federal Emergency Management Agency case workers, augmented other Navy relief organizations, supplied Spanish-speaking personnel to assist United States Army medical teams and prepared tens of thousands of meals for personnel and civilians involved in the recovery effort. SIERRA remained in the area after many other naval units had departed and was the last Navy ship of the immediate relief force to leave.

After completing her Hurricane Andrew assignment, SIERRA returned to Charleston and resumed tender duties. By the beginning of 1993 she had accumulated almost 49 years of continuous commissioned service. The Navy was meanwhile reducing the force structure built up during the Cold War and was retiring a number of older tenders as newer support arrangements, shore facilities and remaining modern auxiliaries assumed their responsibilities. SIERRA nevertheless remained operational during her final months. USS SIERRA was decommissioned at Charleston on October 15, 1993, and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on the same date. Her continuous commissioned service had lasted almost 49 years and seven months, an exceptional period for a ship constructed during World War II.

Following decommissioning, SIERRA entered the disposal process. Maritime Administration records subsequently placed her within the reserve-fleet system. She was sold on August 25, 1995, to Simsmetal America of Richmond, Virginia, for scrapping. Records show her physical withdrawal from reserve-fleet custody on January 17, 1996, after which she was dismantled.

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