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USS Braxton (APA-138)
Encyclopedia
USS Braxton (APA-138) was a Haskell-class
attack transport
acquired by the U.S. Navy
during World War II
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
Braxton (APA-138) was laid down on 29 August 1944 at Wilmington, California, by the California Shipbuilding Corp. under a Maritime Commission
contract (MCV hull 54); launched on 3 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. R. DeFrees; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on a loan-charter basis on 28 December 1944; and commissioned the following day at Terminal Island
, San Pedro, California, Cmdr. William L. Bray, USNR, in command.
sailed on 9 January for shakedown training in the Long Beach, California
, area. Less than a week later on 14 January, Braxton collided with the merchant tanker SS Mission Capistrano during a heavy fog and suffered damage to two LCVP
's, three life rafts, and her hull. Following repairs, the attack transport departed Long Beach on 22 January, proceeded to San Diego, California
, and reported the next day for duty with the Amphibious Training Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet
.
until mid-February and then headed for San Francisco, California
, where she arrived on the 20th. After embarking passengers, she departed from the Bay area on the 24th, bound for Hawaii
. The ship moored at Pearl Harbor
on 1 March and disembarked her passengers. For the rest of the month, she operated in Hawaiian waters conducting amphibious exercises off Maui
and Oahu
.
in convoy
PD-372T—with also , Sea Flasher, and the minesweepers and -- and anchored at Eniwetok on the morning of 18 April. The following day, after picking up additional escorts in the form of and PCE-898, the convoy sailed thence for the Marianas
.
Braxton reached Saipan
early on 23 April and disembarked some of her passengers before pushing on to Guam
which she reached on the afternoon of the 26th. There, she disembarked her remaining out-bound passengers before embarking U.S. Marine Corps
officers and enlisted men for the return voyage on 1 May. That afternoon, the transport sailed for Oahu
. Braxton arrived at Pearl Harbor
on the morning of 10 May, but sailed the following morning for the U.S. West Coast
. Although initially ordered to San Diego, she was redirected to San Francisco en route and disembarked 120 Marines and 217 casualties there on 17 May. After brief voyage repairs, the ship then shifted to the Naval Supply Depot at Oakland, California
, where she loaded a cargo of fuel, ammunition, and supplies, before sailing for Hawaii
on 30 May.
on 5 June, the attack transport disembarked passengers from the U.S. West Coast and embarked 5 army officers and 296 enlisted men for the voyage westward, returning to sea on the 8th bound for the Marshalls
. Following a stop at Eniwetok on 15 and 16 June, she pushed on to Saipan
, remained there from the 19th through the 26th, and finally headed on to Ulithi
. Underway from that atoll
on 20 July in convoy UOK 39, consisting of 40 ships—both merchant and naval—the vessel arrived at Okinawa soon thereafter and discharged her cargo near Kinmu Wan on 25 July.
for the remainder of the month, wartime conditions were very much in evidence. As her war diary for 27 July states: "enemy planes definitely in [the] vicinity...." The presence of the Japanese planes usually triggered the use of smoke boats and shipboard generators to screen the ship in artificial fog. Such conditions continued into August, but the arrival of a typhoon forced the ship to sea on the 1st for two days to ride out the "blow."
, joining convoy 0KU-17—34 ships and 11 escorts. Upon her arrival there on the 10th, she fueled from and received orders to sail for Saipan. Underway on 13 August, she had not gone far before she received orders re-routing her to Guam
. Braxton moored in Apra Harbor
on 14 August and commenced loading cargo and embarking passengers. All through the night and most of the morning, the embarking and loading continued until shortly before noon. Underway on the 15th, Braxton stood out of Apra Harbor, bound for Japan
. She then formed up with , , , , , and a trio of destroyers to make up Task Unit (TU) 12.1.2.
TF 31—commanded by Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger in -- on the 19th and she dropped anchor in Sagami Wan, Honshū
on the 27th. After landing the first occupation troops on the 30th, the ship returned to the transport area in Tokyo Bay
. During the rest of the day, more Marines, together with bluejacket detachments and Royal Marine units—under the guns of the United States Third Fleet and beneath a veritable umbrella of aircraft—occupied Yokosuka.
On 1 September, Braxton sailed for the Marianas
, and anchored in Saipan
harbor on the 5th. The next morning, she fueled from . She then shifted to Tanapag
Harbor where, between 9 and 11 September, she embarked more than 1,200 passengers. She cleared Tanapag Harbor on the afternoon of 18 September, bound for Nagasaki. Early in the afternoon of 23 September, Braxton and the other transports disembarked the 2nd Marines and 6th Marines to occupy the atomic bomb-devastated city. Three days later, Braxton -- with nine other APAs, an attack cargo ship, and a single escort—sailed for the Philippines
. After refueling and reprovisioning at Manila
from 9 to 11 October, she embarked elements of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division at Lingayen Gulf
between 12 and 14 October. She got underway on 23 October in Lingayen
Nagoya Convoy No. 2.
and returned to San Pedro on 13 February 1946.
(IX-300), a war prize that had been brought to the United States
from the Baltic
-- to Braxton. The transport got underway at 1610 that same day. After transiting the Panama Canal
on the 17th, Braxton reached Staten Island
early on of the 23d. She then embarked 1,492 U.S. Army
enlisted men and, with the 164 former Prinz Eugen crewmen still on board, sailed for Germany
on 3 May 1946, reaching Bremerhaven
on the morning of the 10th.
on 30 May. Underway for Norfolk on 3 June, Braxton anchored in Hampton Roads
the following morning. After preparations for inactivation, she was decommissioned there on 27 June 1946. Braxton was turned over to the War Shipping Administration
on the 29th, and her name was struck from the Navy List
on 19 July 1946. She was placed in the portion of the National Defense Reserve Fleet
berthed at James River, Virginia. She remained there, inactive, until sold on 9 April 1973 to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., of New York City
, to be scrapped.
Haskell class attack transport
Haskell-class attack transports were amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy created in 1944. They were designed to transport 1,500 troops and their combat equipment, and land them on hostile shores with the ships' integral landing craft....
attack transport
Attack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
acquired by the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
Braxton (APA-138) was laid down on 29 August 1944 at Wilmington, California, by the California Shipbuilding Corp. under a Maritime Commission
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...
contract (MCV hull 54); launched on 3 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. R. DeFrees; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on a loan-charter basis on 28 December 1944; and commissioned the following day at Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
, San Pedro, California, Cmdr. William L. Bray, USNR, in command.
A bad start for World War II service
Following alterations and repairs between 3 and 5 January 1945, the attack transportAttack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
sailed on 9 January for shakedown training in the Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, area. Less than a week later on 14 January, Braxton collided with the merchant tanker SS Mission Capistrano during a heavy fog and suffered damage to two LCVP
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
's, three life rafts, and her hull. Following repairs, the attack transport departed Long Beach on 22 January, proceeded to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, and reported the next day for duty with the Amphibious Training Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
.
Operations in the Hawaiian Islands area
Braxton then conducted amphibious exercises off the coast of southern CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
until mid-February and then headed for San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where she arrived on the 20th. After embarking passengers, she departed from the Bay area on the 24th, bound for Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. The ship moored at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 1 March and disembarked her passengers. For the rest of the month, she operated in Hawaiian waters conducting amphibious exercises off Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
and Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
Heading to the combat area with troops on board
On the morning of 9 April, the attack transport sailed for the MarshallsMarshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
in convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
PD-372T—with also , Sea Flasher, and the minesweepers and -- and anchored at Eniwetok on the morning of 18 April. The following day, after picking up additional escorts in the form of and PCE-898, the convoy sailed thence for the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
.
Braxton reached Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
early on 23 April and disembarked some of her passengers before pushing on to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
which she reached on the afternoon of the 26th. There, she disembarked her remaining out-bound passengers before embarking U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
officers and enlisted men for the return voyage on 1 May. That afternoon, the transport sailed for Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. Braxton arrived at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on the morning of 10 May, but sailed the following morning for the U.S. West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. Although initially ordered to San Diego, she was redirected to San Francisco en route and disembarked 120 Marines and 217 casualties there on 17 May. After brief voyage repairs, the ship then shifted to the Naval Supply Depot at Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, where she loaded a cargo of fuel, ammunition, and supplies, before sailing for Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
on 30 May.
Bound for the Marshall Islands and Saipan
Arriving at Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 5 June, the attack transport disembarked passengers from the U.S. West Coast and embarked 5 army officers and 296 enlisted men for the voyage westward, returning to sea on the 8th bound for the Marshalls
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. Following a stop at Eniwetok on 15 and 16 June, she pushed on to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, remained there from the 19th through the 26th, and finally headed on to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
. Underway from that atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
on 20 July in convoy UOK 39, consisting of 40 ships—both merchant and naval—the vessel arrived at Okinawa soon thereafter and discharged her cargo near Kinmu Wan on 25 July.
The dangers of Japanese planes at Okinawa
While Braxton remained at OkinawaOkinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
for the remainder of the month, wartime conditions were very much in evidence. As her war diary for 27 July states: "enemy planes definitely in [the] vicinity...." The presence of the Japanese planes usually triggered the use of smoke boats and shipboard generators to screen the ship in artificial fog. Such conditions continued into August, but the arrival of a typhoon forced the ship to sea on the 1st for two days to ride out the "blow."
And onwards to Guam
Early on the 6th, the ship weighed anchor and sailed for UlithiUlithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, joining convoy 0KU-17—34 ships and 11 escorts. Upon her arrival there on the 10th, she fueled from and received orders to sail for Saipan. Underway on 13 August, she had not gone far before she received orders re-routing her to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Braxton moored in Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
on 14 August and commenced loading cargo and embarking passengers. All through the night and most of the morning, the embarking and loading continued until shortly before noon. Underway on the 15th, Braxton stood out of Apra Harbor, bound for Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. She then formed up with , , , , , and a trio of destroyers to make up Task Unit (TU) 12.1.2.
End-of-war occupation operations
Braxton and her consorts later joined task forceTask force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
TF 31—commanded by Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger in -- on the 19th and she dropped anchor in Sagami Wan, Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
on the 27th. After landing the first occupation troops on the 30th, the ship returned to the transport area in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. During the rest of the day, more Marines, together with bluejacket detachments and Royal Marine units—under the guns of the United States Third Fleet and beneath a veritable umbrella of aircraft—occupied Yokosuka.
On 1 September, Braxton sailed for the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, and anchored in Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
harbor on the 5th. The next morning, she fueled from . She then shifted to Tanapag
Tanapag
Tanapag is a settlement on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is located close to Tanapag Beach on the northwest coast, just to the north of Capital Hill, the island group's centre of government...
Harbor where, between 9 and 11 September, she embarked more than 1,200 passengers. She cleared Tanapag Harbor on the afternoon of 18 September, bound for Nagasaki. Early in the afternoon of 23 September, Braxton and the other transports disembarked the 2nd Marines and 6th Marines to occupy the atomic bomb-devastated city. Three days later, Braxton -- with nine other APAs, an attack cargo ship, and a single escort—sailed for the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. After refueling and reprovisioning at Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
from 9 to 11 October, she embarked elements of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
between 12 and 14 October. She got underway on 23 October in Lingayen
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
Nagoya Convoy No. 2.
Participating in Operation Magic Carpet
Braxton reached Nagoya on the 28th, but did not moor until the 30th. There, she disembarked the 25th Division, rear echelon and completed unloading her cargo later that day. Having put her "third load of occupation troops on Japan", Braxton sailed for San Pedro, California, on 3 November as part of the "Operation Magic Carpet" fleet. She then made a round-trip, "Magic-Carpet" voyage to the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and returned to San Pedro on 13 February 1946.
Transporting troops and prisoners to Germany
Braxton remained there into April. On the 9th, LCI-1O17 came alongside and transferred 8 German officers, 154 enlisted men, and 2 prisoners—the remaining crewmen of the heavy cruiser Prinz EugenGerman cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
(IX-300), a war prize that had been brought to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
-- to Braxton. The transport got underway at 1610 that same day. After transiting the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on the 17th, Braxton reached Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
early on of the 23d. She then embarked 1,492 U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
enlisted men and, with the 164 former Prinz Eugen crewmen still on board, sailed for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 3 May 1946, reaching Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
on the morning of the 10th.
Final voyage to decommissioning and deactivation
Ten days later, Braxton got underway for the United States with naval and military passengers and reached Staten IslandStaten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
on 30 May. Underway for Norfolk on 3 June, Braxton anchored in Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
the following morning. After preparations for inactivation, she was decommissioned there on 27 June 1946. Braxton was turned over to the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
on the 29th, and her name was struck from the Navy List
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 19 July 1946. She was placed in the portion of the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
berthed at James River, Virginia. She remained there, inactive, until sold on 9 April 1973 to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to be scrapped.