USS ''Dixon'' (AS-37) was an

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

, in service to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1971 through 1995. ''Dixon'' was named for

George E. Dixon George Erasmus Dixon (1837? – February 17, 1864) was a first lieutenant in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War. He is best known as the commander of the Confederate submarine '' H.L. Hunley'' during her successful mission to sink ...

, commander of the Confederate submarine

H. L. Hunley ''H. L. Hunley'', often referred to as ''Hunley'', '' CSS H. L. Hunley'', or as ''CSS Hunley'', was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War. ''Hunley'' demonstrated the advantages and ...

.Associated Press, Virginia News briefs. The Danville Register. Danville, Virginia. Sunday, 8 August 1971. Page 6. ''Dixon'' was laid down by

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...

Corp,

Fore River Shipyard Fore River Shipyard was a shipyard owned by General Dynamics Corporation located on Weymouth Fore River in Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location on Quincy Point in 1901 ...

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

, on 7 September 1967. She was launched on 20 June 1970 and commissioned on 7 August 1971 at

Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

, sponsored by Mrs. Paul Masterson, the wife of retired Vice Adm. Paul Masterson, USN, 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. Ensign McIntyre later became the first woman to qualify as a Surface Warfare Officer. ''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 Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

(USA) at in a depth of 5130 m (2805 fathoms).

References

External links

Decommissioning ceremony photos - USS DIXON (AS 37)
*

Press release about the boarding of the first female officers- United Press International
L. Y. Spear-class submarine tenders

Submarine tenders A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

Submarine tenders of the United States Navy

Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1970 ships Ships sunk as targets Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Confederate States of America monuments and memorials {{US-mil-ship-stub