USS Barton (DD-599)

Figure 1: USS Barton (DD-599) in Boston Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts, 29 May 1942, the day she was commissioned. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Barton (DD-599) in Boston Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts, on the day she was commissioned, 29 May 1942. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Barton (DD-599), date and place unknown. US Navy Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.



Named after John Kennedy Barton (1853-1921), a former Chief of the US Navy’s Bureau of Steam Engineering, USS Barton was a 1,620-ton Benson class destroyer that was built by the Bethlehem Steel Company at Quincy, Massachusetts, and was commissioned on 29 May 1942. The ship was approximately 348 feet long and 36 feet wide, had a top speed of 37 knots, and had a crew of 208 officers and men. Barton was armed with four 5-inch guns, four 40-mm guns, seven 20-mm guns, 10 21-inch torpedo tubes, and depth charges.

Following a brief shakedown cruise off the coast of Maine, Barton began escorting various ships off the New England coastline starting in July 1942. She was ordered to the Pacific on 23 August and, after transiting the Panama Canal at the end of August, Barton joined Task Group (TG) 2.12 at the Tonga Islands, arriving at Tongatabu on 12 September. Shortly after that, Barton sailed to Noumea, New Caledonia.

At this time, the battle for Guadalcanal was being fought in earnest. On 2 October 1942, Barton joined Task Force 17 which was leaving Noumea and headed for the Shortland Islands, where Japanese forces were rumored to be gathering for an attack on Guadalcanal. Task Force 17 was built around the carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), along with two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and four other destroyers. By 5 October, Hornet’s planes reached the Shortland Islands and, although plagued by bad weather, damaged two Japanese destroyers and sank one transport. But the bulk of the Japanese fleet was not there.

By now, the Japanese were desperate to destroy the one major airstrip held by the Americans on Guadalcanal, called Henderson Field. Whoever controlled the airstrip controlled the skies and the shipping around Guadalcanal, which made the airfield such an important target. The Japanese began daily air raids against the airfield and mounted nightly bombardments by surface warships as well. The Japanese then sent a major task force to engage the American Navy off Guadalcanal and the two forces met on 26 October 1942 in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Barton was still escorting Hornet, which was also joined by the carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). During the massive battle that followed, Barton provided anti-aircraft cover for Hornet but the carrier was hit repeatedly by Japanese aircraft and began to sink. Barton rescued 250 of Hornet’s crew before the carrier went down. Although the battle was basically a draw (with two Japanese carriers severely damaged for the loss of Hornet), this was only the beginning of Japan’s naval assault on Guadalcanal.

After making a daring rescue of 17 American crewmen and passengers that were on board a C-47 aircraft that crashed on a reef near Guadalcanal, Barton returned to Noumea and was assigned to Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner’s Task Force 67. The task force rendezvoused with Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan’s Task Force 67.4 just east of Guadalcanal (near San Cristobal Island) on the morning of 11 November 1942. The two admirals received intelligence reports that a major Japanese naval task force was headed for Guadalcanal. At the same time, a large number of American troop and cargo ships were going to be unloading their badly needed cargo onto the beaches of Guadalcanal. The American warships had to protect the cargo ships from the oncoming Japanese task force.

By 0718 on the morning of 12 November 1942, the cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) and the destroyer Shaw (DD-373) joined Barton in firing on Japanese batteries on land that were firing on the American transports. The counter-battery fire coming from the American warships was extremely accurate and silenced the Japanese guns. This allowed the American transports to continue unloading their troops and cargo without interruption. During the daylight hours, Japanese aircraft tried to attack the cargo ships, but accurate anti-aircraft fire destroyed many enemy warplanes without the loss of any cargo ships.

Then came nighttime. Knowing that the Japanese were approaching, Rear Admiral Turner moved the transports away from the beach and ordered Rear Admiral Callaghan to meet the oncoming Japanese warships. Rear Admiral Turner concluded that this was the only way to stop the Japanese. Even if Callaghan’s force was annihilated, the attack would prevent the Japanese from bombarding Henderson Field and it would inflict so much damage on the enemy that it would allow Turner to continue unloading his merchant ships onto Guadalcanal.

At 1815 on the evening of 12 November, Rear Admiral Turner’s troop transports and cargo ships steamed eastward, away from Guadalcanal. At the same time, Rear Admiral Callaghan’s task force headed north to intercept the Japanese. The ships were deployed in a single column, with four destroyers leading five cruisers followed by another four destroyers, with Barton being among those last four ships. At 0124 on the morning of 13 November 1942, American radar on board the lead ships located the enemy. It was a Japanese task force under the command of Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe and it consisted of two battleships, one light cruiser, and 14 destroyers.

When the two columns of warships finally slammed into each other, a melee ensued. Some of the ships were only 1,000 yards from each other when the firing began. As the battle continued, the ships from both sides got mixed up, making shooting even more difficult. Barton opened fire with her forward 5-inch guns as soon as she saw the enemy searchlights illuminating the American ships ahead of her. Barton’s forward guns were aimed to port and fired roughly 60 rounds, while her two aft guns fired about 10 rounds each. Barton then altered course to port, moving closer to the enemy column of warships, and launched five torpedoes at the Japanese. Barton’s guns fired for about seven more minutes before the ship had to stop to avoid colliding with the ship in front of it, possibly the destroyer USS Aaron Ward (DD-433). But in stopping, Barton became a perfect target for the Japanese destroyers. After a few seconds, the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze, which was only 3,000 yards away, fired a torpedo that hit the forward part of Barton. A few seconds later, a second torpedo hit Barton in her forward engine room. There were two tremendous explosions from these torpedo hits that literally broke the ship in half. USS Fletcher (DD-445) which was bringing up the rear of the American column, saw Barton explode at 0156. Lookouts on board Fletcher later stated that Barton “simply disappeared in fragments.”

Ironically, the flames from what was left of Barton and her burning fuel oil illuminated the area, enabling Fletcher’s lookouts to see the wake of a torpedo that was headed straight for her. Fletcher altered course to avoid the torpedo, but in doing so the destroyer moved straight through a group of Barton’s survivors that were struggling in the water. Only 42 of Barton’s crew were later rescued by the cruiser USS Portland (CA-33), as well as by some landing craft from Guadalcanal.

Among the dead was the ship’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Douglas H. Fox. As a tribute to this fine officer, a destroyer, USS Douglas H. Fox (DD-772), was named after him. But the enormous sacrifice made by the US Navy that night in terms of men and warships was not in vain. The Japanese task force not only suffered huge losses, but it was prevented from bombarding and destroying Henderson Field. It was a major victory against terrible odds and it enabled the Marines to hold onto Guadalcanal.

As for Barton, she earned four battle stars for the roughly six months she was in service. In 1992, an expedition that was examining the wrecks off Guadalcanal located part of Barton. She lies in more than 2,000 feet of water southeast of Savo Island. All that was found was the first 100 feet or so of her bow, resting on its port side with both forward five-inch guns still facing port. The ship’s stern section should be nearby, but was never found.

USS Philadelphia (CL-41)

Figure 1: USS Philadelphia (CL-41) off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, on 22 October 1937. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Philadelphia (CL-41) anchored in the Hudson River, off New York City, 1939. Donation of Lieutenant Gustave J. Freret, USN (Retired), 1972. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Philadelphia (CL-41) at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 9 April 1942. USS Munargo (AP-20) is in the upper left background. Courtesy of Charles N. Dragonette, 1979. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: Curtiss SOC Seagull scout-observation aircraft is hoisted on board USS Philadelphia (CL-41), during the North African operation, November 1942. Note crewmen holding lines to steady the plane as the aircraft crane swings it inboard. Photographed by Lieutenant Horace Bristol, USNR. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: USS Philadelphia (CL-41) in New York Harbor, 26 April 1943. A Liberty Ship is in the background, with a crated deck cargo. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: USS Philadelphia (CL-41) off New York City, 26 April 1943. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USS Philadelphia (CL-41) off the New York Navy Yard, 26 April 1943. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: Salerno Operation, September 1943. A US Navy destroyer lays a smoke screen during a "Red Alert" for air attack off the Salerno invasion beaches in September 1943. Photographed from the port bridge wing of USS Philadelphia (CL-41). Note manned and ready 20-mm and 40-mm guns on Philadelphia and elevated fire control radar antenna and 5-inch guns on the destroyer. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: Salerno Operation, September 1943. USS Philadelphia (CL-41) and a motor minesweeper (YMS) making a smoke screen to cover the landing area from German air attack, circa 9 September 1943. Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: Roman Catholic church services on board USS Philadelphia’s after deck, while she was at Algiers, Algeria, circa 1944. Note the use of the US ensign and signal flags as a backdrop, and the cruiser's aircraft catapults flanking the ceremonies. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: Undated starboard side photograph of the Brazilian Navy’s Barroso (C11), formerly USS Philadelphia. Courtesy Robert Hurst. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 12: Undated photograph of the Brazilian Navy’s Barroso (C11), formerly USS Philadelphia, in Guanabara bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Courtesy Artemio Bueno Rosa, Jr. Click on photograph for larger image.



Named after the city in Pennsylvania, USS Philadelphia (CL-41) was a 9,700-ton Brooklyn class light cruiser built by the Philadelphia Navy Yard at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and commissioned on 23 September 1937. The ship was approximately 608 feet long and 61 feet wide, had a top speed of 32 knots, and had a crew of 868 officers and men. Philadelphia was armed with 15 6-inch guns, eight 5-inch guns, 20 40-mm guns, and 10 20-mm guns, and carried four scout planes.

After being commissioned, Philadelphia spent most of her time on patrol in the Atlantic area. On 30 April 1938, Philadelphia arrived at Charleston, South Carolina, and hosted President Franklin Roosevelt during the first week of May for a cruise in Caribbean waters. The president returned to Charleston on 8 May. The ship then resumed operations off the Atlantic coast until mid-1939, when she left for the Pacific. After transiting the Panama Canal, Philadelphia was based at San Pedro, California, and then at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While at Pearl Harbor, the ship participated in fleet maneuvers until May 1941. Philadelphia left Pearl Harbor on 22 May 1941 and returned to the Atlantic via the Panama Canal. The cruiser arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, on 18 June.

Once Philadelphia arrived at Boston, she was assigned to participate in “Neutrality Patrols,” which were created on 4 September 1939 as a response to the war in Europe. Neutrality Patrols were ordered to track and report the movements of any warlike operations of belligerents in the waters of the western hemisphere. As part of the patrols, Philadelphia steamed as far south as Bermuda and as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship entered the Boston Navy Yard on 25 November 1941 for an overhaul and was there when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December.

After her overhaul was completed on 18 December 1942, Philadelphia resumed patrol and escort duties off the coast of the United States. Philadelphia escorted two convoys to Scotland during the middle of 1942, but was pulled off escort duty to become the flagship of the Southern Attack Group for the invasion of North Africa. Philadelphia’s task force left Norfolk, Virginia, on 24 October 1942 with 102 ships carrying 35,000 men and their equipment bound for North Africa. The troops were under the command of the famous General George S. Patton and the entire landing force reached Casablanca, Morocco, shortly before midnight on 7 November. The invasion force was split up into three different sections and landed at three different points along the Moroccan coast in the early morning darkness of 8 November.

During the invasion, Philadelphia provided critical and highly accurate gunfire support for the troops landing on shore, knocking out several Vichy French artillery batteries that were firing at the invasion force. Once the landing troops had secured their beachheads, Philadelphia was ordered to leave Morocco for New York City on 13 November and arrived there on 24 November. The ship was based at New York until 11 March 1943, when she escorted two convoys to Casablanca. Philadelphia then moved to Norfolk, Virginia, and began preparing for the next big Allied invasion.

Philadelphia left Norfolk with nine destroyers on 8 June 1943 and arrived at Oran, Algeria, on 22 June. Oran was the final staging area for the invasion of Sicily and on 5 July the entire invasion force left Oran and headed north for the Italian island. The Allies arrived off the beaches of Scoglitti, Sicily, shortly before midnight on 9 July 1943, with Philadelphia once again providing gunfire support for the troops on shore. Philadelphia provided gunfire support for Allied troops until 5 September. While hitting targets all over Sicily, Philadelphia also endured numerous enemy air attacks and shot down a total of six aircraft during these battles.

On 9 September 1943, Philadelphia’s guns were used yet again during the Allied invasion of Salerno in southern Italy. One of the ship’s scout planes spotted 35 German tanks not far from the beach where the Allies were landing and this information was relayed back to the ship. Philadelphia opened fire with her six-inch guns and destroyed seven of the tanks before the rest retreated from the area. The ship was almost hit by a German glide bomb during an aerial attack. The bomb exploded next to the ship, wounding several of her crewmen. But the ship could still remain in action and her guns continued to provide badly needed support for the troops on shore. Philadelphia’s guns shot down another German aircraft on 15 September and two more on 17 September. After providing numerous gunfire support missions along the Italian coast, Philadelphia returned to the United States on 6 November as part of a convoy heading for Norfolk.

Philadelphia left Norfolk on 19 January 1944 and, after making a stop in Oran, Algeria, joined the Allied invasion force off the coast of Anzio, Italy, on 14 February. The ship provided gunfire support for the troops on shore until 23 May. In August 1944, Philadelphia then provided gunfire support for the Allied invasion of southern France. After bombarding German positions along the coast of southern France, the ship returned to Philadelphia on 6 November.

Philadelphia underwent a major overhaul at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and, after a refresher training cruise for her crew, was ready for another assignment on 4 June 1945. Although the war in Europe had ended on 8 May 1945, Philadelphia was still a very active warship and was ordered to escort USS Augusta (CA-31), which was carrying President Harry Truman to and from the Potsdam Conference in Europe. Later that year, Philadelphia transported US military personnel home from Europe as part of Operation “Magic Carpet.”

Philadelphia returned to her namesake city and was placed on the “inactive” list on 9 January 1946. She was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 3 February 1947 and was struck from the Navy List on 9 January 1951. As a part of a plan to assist countries that were allied to the United States during the Cold War, USS Philadelphia was sold to Brazil in 1951 and reactivated at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The ship was re-named Barroso (C-11) and served in the Brazilian Navy for more than two decades. Barroso was eventually scrapped in 1973.

USS Patterson (DE-1061, FF-1061)

Figure 1: USS Patterson (DE-1061) underway in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, 27 August 1970. Photographed by PHCS W.H. Long, USN. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Patterson (DE-1061) underway in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, 27 August 1970. Photographed by PHCS W.H. Long, USN. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Patterson (DE-1061) underway, circa the early 1970s. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Patterson (DE-1061) visiting a German port, circa June-July 1971. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: USS Patterson (FF-1061) at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, 1984, while serving as a unit of the Naval Reserve Force. Photographed by Francis M. Cox. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: A port view of USS Patterson (FF-1061) at sea on 14 September 1990. The date on this, and the next photograph, has to be incorrect. Patterson went through the Knox Class hull upgrade program prior to 1987, per ex-crewmember Brian Wells. US Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-11618 by PHCS Long. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: A port-bow view of USS Patterson (FF-1061) at sea on 14 September 1990. The date on this photograph has to be incorrect. Patterson went through the Knox Class hull upgrade program prior to 1987, per ex-crewmember Brian Wells. US Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-11617 by PHCS Long. Click on photograph for larger image.



Named after Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson (1786-1839), a naval hero from the War of 1812, USS Patterson (DE-1061) was a 3,011-ton Knox class destroyer escort that was built by the Avondale Shipyard at Westwego, Louisiana, and was commissioned on 14 March 1970. The ship was approximately 415 feet long and 46 feet wide, had a top speed of 27 knots, and had a crew of 224 officers and men. Patterson was armed with one 5-inch gun, one Mk 16 ASROC missile launcher, four Mk 46 torpedoes, one Mk 25 BPDMS Sea Sparrow missile launcher, and one SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter.

After being commissioned, Patterson conducted her shakedown cruise off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. From June to August 1971, the ship made her first overseas deployment to northern Europe. During the first half of 1974, she steamed to the Mediterranean Sea for service with the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet. All newer escort ships were reclassified as frigates in mid-1975, so Patterson was re-designated FF-1061. At this time, the ship was also modified. She received enlarged helicopter facilities and the Basic Point Defense Missile System, which included a launcher installed on her afterdeck for eight Sea Sparrow guided missiles.

Patterson completed a second deployment in the Mediterranean from late 1976 to mid-1977, and a third one from 1978 to early 1979. From September to October 1979, the ship returned to northern European waters and in mid-1980 Patterson provided help to the West Indies island of St. Lucia after it was hit by a massive hurricane. After returning to the Mediterranean in October 1980, Patterson continued eastward and sailed into the Persian Gulf towards the end of the year and during the first month of 1981. Patterson completed a fifth deployment with the Sixth Fleet from late 1981 into 1982, with a trip to the Red Sea at the end of that deployment. The ship earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for her service during that period.

In June 1983, Patterson was assigned to the US Naval Reserve Force, based at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ship remained in this “non-deploying” status for the next eight years, but was used as a training ship for Naval Reservists. In this capacity, Patterson sailed in the western Atlantic, from Canada to the West Indies. In late 1990, Patterson conducted counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean, making a round-trip passage through the Panama Canal as part of that mission. On her final cruise, Patterson went to Bermuda in May 1991. The ship was decommissioned on 30 September 1991. USS Patterson was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register of ships on 11 January 1995. Although Patterson was considered for transfer to Greece as a source of spare parts, this never took place and the ship was sold for scrapping on 29 September 1999. Patterson was one of 46 Knox class frigates built in the United States and these ships provided excellent service during the final years of the Cold War, from 1969 to the end of the 1980s.

USS Adams (DM-27, MMD-27)

Figure 1: USS Adams (DM-27) off San Francisco, California, 2 May 1945. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1971. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Adams (DM-27) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, in late June 1945, following repair of kamikaze damage. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives.



Named after Lieutenant Samuel Adams (1912-1942), a US Navy hero of the Battle of Midway, the 3,218-ton USS Adams was an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer that was originally laid down as DD-739 at the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, but was re-designated a destroyer-minelayer, DM-27, on 20 July 1944. The ship was commissioned at Boston, Massachusetts, on 10 October 1944. Adams was approximately 376 feet long and 40 feet wide, had a top speed of 34 knots, and had a crew of 363 officers and men. The destroyer-minelayer was armed with six 5-inch guns, eight 40-mm guns, 12 20-mm guns, depth charges, plus 80 mines.

Adams completed her shakedown cruise on 29 November 1944 and the ship arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on 3 December. On 11 December, Adams, along with her sister ship USS Shea (DM-30), left Norfolk and headed north to New York, where they rendezvoused with the carrier USS Bennington (CV-20). Together, all three ships left for the Panama Canal on 15 December. They transited the canal on 20 December and two days later headed for the coast of California. The three ships arrived at San Diego, California, on 29 December and stayed there for two days undergoing repairs. On 1 January 1945, the three ships left San Diego and arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, six days later.

For almost two months, Adams remained based in Hawaii. While there, she acted as plane guard for the escort carrier USS Bataan (CVL-29) while the carrier conducted landing qualifications for pilots. Adams also conducted gunnery and shore bombardment exercises. Early in February, Adams laid mines and tested mine-detection equipment on them. Adams completed all of her exercises by the end of February 1945.

Adams left Pearl Harbor on 2 March 1945 and headed for the western Pacific. She arrived at Ulithi Atoll on 14 March and stayed there for five days. Adams then left Ulithi with the task force that was going to invade Okinawa, just off the Japanese mainland. On 23 March, the day before arriving off the coast of Okinawa, Japanese aircraft attacked the task force. As the guns on board Adams began shooting at the incoming aircraft, a shell fired from an aft 5-inch gun exploded prematurely, killing two crewmen and wounding 13 others. At dawn the next day, Adams began minesweeping operations off Okinawa, and also provided anti-aircraft gunfire support for the task force.

Over the next few days, the Japanese mounted heavy air attacks on the American warships off Okinawa. During that time, Adams was attacked by at least 12 different aircraft. Adams managed to shoot down six of the Japanese planes and claimed two more as “probable kills.” On 28 March, a Japanese aircraft was shot down and crashed roughly 25 feet from the port bow of the ship, showering Adams with debris and burning gasoline. Then on 1 April, while steaming not far from Okinawa, a badly damaged Japanese aircraft crashed close to the stern of the ship. Unfortunately, the plane was carrying two bombs and they both exploded under the fantail of the ship, causing severe damage and jamming the ship’s rudders at hard right. While Adams moved in a constant right-hand circle, two more Japanese kamikaze planes dove at the ship. Adams managed to shoot one down while the other was shot down by a nearby destroyer. Adams had to be towed to Kerama Retto, an island near Okinawa, for temporary repairs.

Adams left Kerama Retto on 7 April 1945 and was sent back to the United States for permanent repairs. After making stops at Guam and Pearl Harbor, Adams arrived at the Mare Island Navy Yard in California on 7 May. Repairs were completed and the ship left for Hawaii on 17 July, arriving at Pearl Harbor several days later. After that, Adams spent the next few days participating in gunnery exercises around Hawaii.

On 4 August 1945, Adams left Pearl Harbor with USS Koiner (DE-331) and again headed for the western Pacific. After a brief stop at Eniwetok Atoll, the two ships, along with the attack transport Sitka (APA-113), arrived at Guam on 15 August, the day hostilities ceased with Japan. The next day, Adams left for Okinawa and arrived there on 18 August. She stayed there until 31 August and the next day left for mainland Japan. Adams arrived off Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan, on 3 September and began minesweeping a channel into the port. Adams completed that mission on 9 September and then the ship returned to Okinawa. Adams reached Okinawa on 11 September and remained there to avoid a typhoon that was moving through the area.

Adams left Okinawa on 24 September 1945 and returned to mainland Japan. She arrived at Ise Wan, Honshu, Japan, on 26 September and began minesweeping operations in preparations for the landing of US Army occupation troops at Nagoya. Adams remained at Ise Wan until the end of October. On 1 November, Adams steamed to Sasebo, Japan, and arrived there two days later. The ship stayed there through most of November and made preparations for returning back to the United States.

Unfortunately for the crew of Adams, the ship had to make a few stops before returning home. On 25 November, the ship left Sasebo and steamed to Taiwan, where she arrived three days later. Adams then joined Task Group (TG) 70.5 and starting on 4 December had to spend ten days minesweeping the Taiwan Strait. After that, Adams was sent to Shanghai, China, and entered the famous Yangtze River on 21 December. Adams stayed at Shanghai until 3 January 1946, but then headed back to Sasebo, Japan.

Adams continued to be assigned various minesweeping duties until early April 1946 and then was finally allowed to return to the United States. After arriving back home, the ship was assigned to the First Fleet and served in it until being decommissioned in December 1946. Adams was berthed with the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, and in February 1955, while still in reserve, USS Adams was re-designated a fast minelayer (MMD-27). Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1970 and she was sold for scrapping on 16 December 1971.