The Caine’s Last Years
The Caine MutinyThe Caine moves from overworked combat utility through damage and repair delays to an unceremonious postwar decommissioning.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
An Obsolete Workhorse

An Obsolete Workhorse
Service
The old destroyer-minesweeper has already served in many roles, from escorting and transport to hauling supplies and fuel.
Wear
Its useful record is inseparable from rust, machinery failures, crowded spaces, and continuing emergency repairs.
Overhaul and Return

Overhaul and Return
Hope
Queeg’s command receives an overhaul in the United States, one of the most valued assignments available to an old DMS.
Compromise
The overhaul is curtailed, and the Caine returns to the Pacific before its physical decline has been fully corrected.
The Typhoon Damage

The Typhoon Damage
Survival
The Caine survives the storm but loses equipment and suffers damage while nearby destroyers capsize. Maryk’s decisions keep the ship under control.
Consequence
Its survival does not end the ship’s exposure to danger; the battered vessel continues into later combat operations.
The Kamikaze Hole

The Kamikaze Hole
Damage
A Kamikaze strikes the Caine amidships, starting a fire in the after fireroom, killing Horrible, and disabling a boiler.
Recovery
Willie leads a damage-control effort that saves the ship, but the repair burden becomes a problem for a Navy already shifting from wartime priorities.
The Ship Is Retired

The Ship Is Retired
End of Service
After delays and a brief return to minesweeping, the damaged ship reaches Bayonne for decommissioning.
Meaning
The Caine ends without a famous unit citation. Its contribution lies in years of unglamorous service and the people who kept it afloat.
Before Willie reports aboard
At San Francisco, late 1943
December 1944, during the typhoon
June 1945, off Okinawa
October 27, 1945, at Bayonne