Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Firedrake (AE-14)

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Delta - Bravo
 NKDB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Second Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korea Service Medal (4) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Taiwan Straits, 1-Quemoy-Matsu, 2-Vietnam
Third Row - Vietnam Service Medal (6) - Korean Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (1)
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Mount Hood Class Ammunition Ship:
  • Laid down, date unknown, as SS Winged Racer, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1379) at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.
  • Launched, 12 May 1944
  • Loaned to the US Navy in June 1944
  • Commissioned USS Firedrake (AE-14), 27 December 1944. CDR. A. Elb, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Firedrake was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of the Okinawa Gunto operation, April 1945

  • Permanent title transfer from the Maritime Commission to the US Navy, 14 January 1946
  • Decommissioned, 21 February 1946, at Orange, TX.
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group, Orange
  • Recommissioned, 11 October 1951
  • During the Korean War USS Firedrake participated in the following campaigns:
    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Second Korean Winter
    15 to 18 April 1952     		Third Korean Winter
    6 to 14 March 1953
    28 March to 4 April 1953
    21 to 27 April 1953
    Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    3 to 12 May 1952
    29 May to 8 June 1952
    24 to 26 June 1952
    3 to 15 July 1952     		Korean Summer-Fall 1953
    7 to12 May 1953
    1 to13 and 18 to 27 June 1953
    7 to 20 and 27 July 1953

  • During the Vietnam War USS Firedrake participated in the following campaigns:
    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    24 November to 5 December 1965
    14 to 21 December 1965     		Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    27 February to 11 March 1969
    19 to 25 March 1969
    8 to 22 April 1969
    4 to 8 June 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    6 to 15 January 1966
    28 January to 7 February 1966
    27 February to 8 March 1966
    25 March to 7 April 1966
    27 April to 11 May 1966
    14 to 18 May 1966     		Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 to 21 June 1969
    29 June to 25 July 1969
    16 to 25 August 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    5 to 24 December 1967     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII
    1 to 6 and 13 to 26 July 1970
    1 to 3 August 1970
    25 August to 6 September 1970

  • Decommissioned in October 1970 at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Vallejo, CA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • Custody transferred to the Maritime Administration, 21 July 1971, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • Permanent title transfer from the US Navy to the Maritime Administration, 16 November 1977
  • Final Disposition, disposed of by Maritime Administration (MARAD) sale, 16 November 1977, to General Metals of Tacoma, Inc., for non-transportation use
  • Delivered to General Metals of Tacoma at Suisun Bay, 28 December 1977
  • USS Firedrake was awarded one battle star for World War II service, four battle stars for Korean War service, and six campaign stars for Vietnam War service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 13,910 t.(fl)
    Length 459' 2"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 28' 3"
    Speed 16.4 kts.
    Cargo Capacity
    Non-Refrigerated 400,000 cu ft.
    Largest Boom Capacity 36 tons
    Complement
    Officers 23
    Enlisted 244
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount
    four single 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts
    two twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    eight twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Oil Capacity 10,925 gal.
    Propulsion
    one General Electric geared turbine
    two Babcock and Wilcox header type boilers 450psi 750°
    two General Electric main reduction gears
    three turbo-electric Ships Service Generators 300kW 120/240V D.C. each
    single propeller, 6,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Firedrake 42k USS Firedrake (AE-14) at the Yorktown Naval Mine Depot, circa late January 1946. Photo by Richard Wagner USS Firedrake
    Firedrake 84k USS Firedrake (AE-14) underway off San Francisco Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, 21 November 1952 after a routine overhaul.
    US Navy photo from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command.    		 Robert Hurst
    Firedrake 161k USS Firedrake (AE-14) underway in San Francisco Bay during Fleet Review, 13 June 1957. Photo ©Allied Photographers of San Francisco. Robert M. Cieri
    Firedrake 82k USS Firedrake (AE-14) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine November 1963    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Firedrake 24k USS Firedrake (AE-14) underway, circa 1954, location unknown. Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
    Firedrake 56k Broadside view of USS Firedrake (AE-14) departing Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 17 August 1956. Firedrake was at Mare Island undergoing repairs from 13 June to 17 August 1956. The tug forward appears to he one of the YTMs Mare Island built and the aft tug appears to be either Awatobi (YTB-264) or Dekaury (YTB-178).
    Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo # 30736-8-56, 8/17/56.    		 Darryl Baker
    Firedrake 133k USS Firedrake (AE-14) underway in 1957, location unknown. Russell Cole ET2 USS Firedrake
    Firedrake 92k USS Firedrake (AE-14) underway, 29 January 1964, location unknown.
    US Navy photo # USN 100777 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command    		 Robert Hurst
    Firedrake 103k USS Firedrake (AE-14) holds her position while an unidentified aircraft carrier approaches on her port side to begin an underway replenishment, date and place unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine February 1964    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Firedrake 89k USS Firedrake (AE-14) replenishing USS Buchanan (DDG-14) off her starboard side and USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) off her port side, 14 May 1969.
    US Navy photo    		 Jim Flanders EM3 USN USS Firedrake
    Firedrake 109k USS Firedrake (AE-14) replenishing USS Buchanan (DDG-14) off her starboard side and USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) off her port side, 14 May 1969.
    US Navy photo    		 Chet Morris
    Firedrake 44k USS Firedrake (AE-14) replenishing USS Coontz (DLG-9) to starboard and USS Ranger (CVA-61) to port, during a WESTPAC in the early 1960s.
    US Navy photo    		 EMC(SW) Brian Kroenung

    For more photos and information about USS Firedrake, see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
  • Commanding Officers
    • Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    "AE" Sailors Association
    USS Firedrake (AE-14)
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Ammunition Ship (AE) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2009 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 11 December 2009