USS Dixon

USS Dixon (AS-37) was an L. Y. Spear-class submarine tender, in service to the United States Navy from 1971 through 1995. Dixon was named for George E. Dixon, commander of the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley.[1]

USS Dixon (AS 37)
History
United States
NameUSS Dixon (AS-37)
NamesakeGeorge E. Dixon
Ordered20 April 1966
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Corp., Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts
Laid down7 September 1967
Launched20 June 1970
Acquired7 May 1971
Commissioned7 August 1971
Decommissioned15 December 1995
Stricken18 March 1996
MottoReady for Service
FateDisposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 21 July 2003
General characteristics
Class and typeL.Y. Spear-class submarine tender
Displacement22,640 tons
Length644 ft (196 m)
Beam85 ft (26 m)
Draft57 ft (17 m)
Propulsionsteam turbine engine, 1 propeller
Speed20 knots
Complement1,338
Armamenttwo 5-inch, four 0.5 in (12.7 mm) guns

Dixon was laid down by General Dynamics Corp, Fore River Shipyard at Quincy, Massachusetts, on 7 September 1967. She was launched on 20 June 1970 and commissioned on 7 August 1971 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, sponsored by Mrs. Paul Masterson, the wife of retired Vice Adm. Paul Masterson, USN,[1] and commanded by Capt. D.S. Boyd, USN.

In November 1978, two female officers, Ensigns Roberta McIntyre and Macushla McCormick, boarded Dixon. They were part of the first group of female officers to serve aboard U.S. Navy ships starting in November 1978.[2] Ensign McIntyre later became the first woman to qualify as a Surface Warfare Officer.[3] Dixon was decommissioned 15 December 1995 and struck 18 March 1996. She was sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean during a fleet training exercise 21 July 2003 over 580 km (360 mi) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina (USA) at 31°16′17.9″N 73°57′46.2″W in a depth of 5130 m (2805 fathoms).

References
  1. Associated Press, Virginia News briefs. The Danville Register. Danville, Virginia. Sunday, 8 August 1971. Page 6.
  2. "Victory at Sea for Women". The Hour. Norwalk, Connecticut. Associated Press. 2 November 1978. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  3. Loewer, Rear Admiral D.A. (March 2004). "Pushing Open the Door of Opportunity". Navy.mil. Retrieved 20 February 2015.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

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