USS Piedmont (AD–17) was a Dixie-class destroyer tender built during World War II for the United States Navy.

Unlike the duty at Pearl Harbor, all jobs were now a race against the calendar and, in addition, shore facilities were no longer available.

One 250 pound aerial bomb penetrated the movie locker on the boat deck while another pierced the forecastle and plowed through a tier of bunks.

Lingayen Gulf operations scheduled for early 1945 demanded the presence of all available tender strength at Ulithi in the Caroline Islands.

During the long, bitter weeks of the Iwo-Okinawa operations, the United States fleet suffered more damage than at any other time in its history.

USS Gansevoort (DD-608), beached and abandoned after being hit by a suicide plane during the Mindoro landings of November 1944, was patched, refloated, and towed to Ulithi for temporary repairs by Piedmont which would permit the vessel's return to the United States under her own power.

USS Hale (DD-642), having suffered extensive damage to her port side bridge structure during a collision with a carrier while refueling, came alongside 1 May.

With the cessation of all organized resistance on Okinawa in June Piedmont moved to the Naval Base at Leyte, Philippine Islands, for much-needed rest and repairs.

Piedmont had been selected from the Pacific Fleet destroyer tenders as the one to move into Tokyo Bay with the first naval units for the occupation of Japanese ships.

While moored at Yokosuka, Piedmont supplied provisions and clothing to the landing forces and to the hospital ships standing by to care for released allied prisoners of war.

Piedmont remained in the Tokyo area supporting the occupation forces until sailing for the United States, arriving at Alameda, California, 15 March 1946.

When the Korean War's campaign began on 27 June 1950, Piedmont was on station in Japan carrying out her normal schedule providing tender services to ships of the U.S. 7th Fleet where she remained until relieved in November.

During the Korean campaign Piedmont completed four tours in the Western Pacific: 4 September 1950 to 27 October 1950; 1 August 1951 to 12 February 1952; 9 September 1952 to 9 March 1953 and 11 April 1954 to 27 July 1954; when she acted as flagship for Commander United Nations Blockading and Escort Force and provided tender services to ships of Canada, Colombia, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand as well as those of the U.S. Navy.

In February 1956 she returned from a six-month tour of duty in the Far East which included visits to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Formosa, and Japan.

Naval Base Subic Bay, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sasebo, Kobe, and Yokosuka before returning again to San Diego, California, in August 1957.

[2][3] Three months of the latter tour were spent at Subic Bay servicing destroyers and other 7th Fleet ships serving in the Tonkin Gulf and off Vietnam.

The northern circle route was taken from Yokosuka, nearing the Aleutian Islands, and returning to the new homeport of Long Beach, CA in February 1971.

Other ports visited were Hong Kong for R & R, Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Yokosuka, Japan and Da Nang, Vietnam and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Our stay in Kaohsiung was cut short by an approaching typhoon and the USS Piedmont left port to ride out the storm.

The USS Piedmont was relieved by the Prairie in Yokosuka, Japan and upon leaving was ordered to replenish and refuel destroyers on station off the coast of Russia.

Upon returning to the States, Piedmont went to a dry dock in San Pedro, California for refurbishing in preparation to change home port to Naples from Long beach.

After an extensive refit in San Pedro, California, Piedmont transferred to the Atlantic fleet and was homeported in Naples, Italy from December 1974 until June 1976.

Those two cruises were canceled due to losing a main reduction gear leaving Piedmont to head home on one screw limping into Norfolk Virginia D&S Piers.