USS Dionysus (AR-21)

USS Dionysus (AR-21) was a Xanthus-class repair ship in the service of the United States Navy from 1945 to 1955.

History
Name: USS Dionysus (AR-21)
Builder: Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard
Launched: 10 October 1944
Acquired: 25 October 1944
Commissioned: 28 April 1945
Fate: Sunk as an artificial reef in 1978
General characteristics
Class and type: Xanthus-class repair ship
Displacement: 5,801 tons
Length: 441 feet 6 inches
Beam: 56 feet 11 inches
Draft: 22 feet
Propulsion: reciprocating steam engine, single shaft, 2,500 shp
Speed: 12 knots
Complement: 524
Armament: one 5 inch gun mount, three 3 inch gun mounts

Construction and commissioning

Dionysus was originally launched as the Liberty ship SS Faithful by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard on 10 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. H. C. McClelland. She was acquired by the Navy on 25 October 1944 and commissioned as USS Dionysus' (AR-21) on 28 April 1945, Commander S. D. Simpson in command.

World War II service

Dionysus arrived at Pearl Harbor on 30 June 1945. On 13 July she was underway for Eniwetok where she was stationed as repair ship from 24 July to 8 September. Entering Tokyo Bay on 17 September, Dionysus served there until 10 November when she sailed for overhaul at Bremerton, Washington, where she arrived on 28 November. On 30 May 1946 she arrived at San Pedro, where she was placed out of commission in reserve on 31 January 1947.

Post-war service and decommissioning

Recommissioned on 13 February 1952, Dionysus sailed from Long Beach on 8 April to join the Atlantic Fleet. She arrived at Naval Station Norfolk on 29 April and served primarily at this base. An exception was a period in 1953 when she relocated to the Caribbean to repair ships operating from Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico, ending on 16 April 1954 when she sailed to visit Charleston, South Carolina. She arrived at Newport, Rhode Island on 11 May and continued her repair services there until 3 February 1955. At New York from 4 February to 11 April, she then sailed for Beaumont, Texas, where she was placed in commission in reserve upon her arrival on 20 April. She arrived at Orange, Texas on 25 April and was placed out of commission in reserve there as of 1 July 1955.

Dionysus was withdrawn from the James River Reserve Fleet on 31 May 1978 and designated for use in an artificial reef program in North Carolina.[1]

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References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

  1. Maritime Administration Ship Record Detail: Dionysus
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