The first stop was at Saipan, Marianas, where
wounded were received from the hospitals in the
area. The BRAINE proceeded to Eniwetok for
fueling and on to Pearl Harbor, celebrating two
Independence Days, by crossing the International
Date Line on the Fourth of July. This was seen
by the crew as recognition for its heroices. At
Pearl Harbor the hull patches were strengthened
in anticipation of heavy weather enroute home.
More men who had been wounded reported on board.
Crews from new destroyers moored alongside
the BRAINE and headed for combat were shocked at
the damage. Letters to the Captain began to
arrive from families of the men killed, or
reported missing. Some of the crew who came on
board had not written home about the damage the
BRAINE had received. Their parents could not
believe they were casualties. One woman wrote a
sad letter. She had written her husband a “Dear
John” letter and she hoped he had not received
it.
The voyage to San Diego was just within the
BRAINE’s fuel supply. A submarine contact caused
some anxious moments, but after several depth
charge runs by escorting destroyers, the contact
was lost.
The BRAINE arrived at San Diego on 19 July
1945, in heavy overcast, with no radar and only
six hours of fuel left. The trip through the
Panama Canal was uneventful and the BRAINE
arrived at South Boston Navy Yard on 6 August
1945, exactly two years from her departure. On
that same day half way around the world, an
earth-shaking event was taking place - the
atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. No member
of the BRAINE crew ever disagreed with President
Truman’s decision. The ship was scheduled to be
repaired and returned to the Pacific for the
invasion of Japan. Captain Fitts was relieved as
Commanding Officer by Lt. Cdr. Marlin D.
Clausner, USN.
The Navy Yard removed all the superstructure
to clear battle damage and provide access for
maintenance and repairs. The after boiler room
casings were extremely damaged. The econimizers
were twisted and broken. The safety valve was
sheared.
THE BRAINE IN DRY DOCK
Navy Day was celebrated in October 1945 and
the Navy Yard held an open house. Families of
crew members who served aboard, including those
men killed in action, were permitted on board
and visited with crew members about the action
the BRAINE and her crew were part of in Okinawa.
Gradually, the ship was being restored to its
original configuration and some problems did
occur. The main turbine lubricating oil systems
had been shut down in August and they did not
start again until the following January. The oil
in the tanks was too stiff to flow. After some
procedures, the oil finally began to circulate.
The turbines were put on turning gear to start
to remove the sag in the shafts from sitting so
long.
The superstructure and all the components
from the after stack forward to No. 5 3/8" gun
were replaced and rewired. The process of
checking connections was long and tedious. The
damaged officer’s country was repaired and the
superstructure replaced, including the wardroom,
combat information center, IC Room and radio
shack, as well as damaged armament.
In early 1946, as the time neared for sea
trials, personnel moved on board. Many of the
experienced officers and petty officers had been
discharged and their replacements were new
officers and seamen just out of boot camp. The
propulsion equipment and control systems were
tested along side the dock. At last the BRAINE
was ready for sea trials. They were completed
and the ship was ordered to Charleston, South
Carolina for decommissioning.
The BRAINE departed Boston On March 1946 with
only three qualified officers to stand underway
watches. The enlisted men were placed on
port/starboard watches to man the ship, the
boiler rooms, and engine rooms. The North
Atlantic was very cold. Heating the ship became
a problem. The piping for space heaters had not
been connected. As the ship moved south the
problem disappeared.
The ship was prepared for moth-balling and
finally decommissioned on 26 July 1946.
