ANACOSTIA NAVAL STATION
Interview by Johnnie Faye Taylor
Ray is the son of George Thomas Bracewell and Annie Laura Ward Bracewell. He was born in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia. Ray attended schools in Atlanta, Georgia, Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida.
The Bracewell family was living in Jacksonville, Florida on December 7, 1941 when Ray heard the news about the Pearl Harbor attack. He was working with a metal works company putting air conditioners in large buildings.
After the United States got involved in World War II, Ray and his father got jobs building air bases for the U.S. Government. They were part of the construction crew that built the air base in Jacksonville. Ray's father was a pipe fitter on that job.
The family moved to Lake City, Florida in 1942 where Ray and his father worked building barracks for the air base in that city.
Ray enlisted in the Navy on January 25, 1943 in Jacksonville, Florida. He wanted to join the Army Air Corps but they had no need at that time for further personnel. Ray was told that the Navy needed him so he enlisted in the Navy.
A troop train provided Ray's transportation to the Great Lakes Boot Camp in Chicago, Illinois. Ray left Jacksonville with only the clothes he was wearing and a lightweight windbreaker for a coat. It took four days to reach Chicago. The temperature in Chicago when he arrived was ten degrees below zero and the ground was covered with snow. Ray was very cold!
When he reported in to Boot Camp, Ray was issued clothing more suitable to the weather in the Chicago area. The Boot Camp lasted three or four months.
Ray was given leave after Boot Camp was completed. He came to Dublin during his leave. Ray met Jean Moore while he was here. He immediately fell in love with her. They dated during his time at home and later got engaged.
Home leave was over and Ray reported back to the Great Lakes Training Center in Chicago. His next orders were to attend a Sub-Chaser Training School in Miami. Ray rode a troop train to Miami, which took several days to make the trip.
German submarines had become a big problem in the Atlantic Ocean. To combat that situation, the United States was building Navy destroyer escorts as fast as possible. The destroyer escort's primary purpose being to chase and destroy submarines. (The Navy used other ships called destroyers but they were larger ships than the destroyer escorts). Destroyer escorts were used as escorts for other military ships often leading convoys of troop ships or aircraft carriers.
Norfolk, Virginia was the location for Ray's next training. He was assigned as a crew member to go aboard a destroyer escort being built in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The crew trained at Norfolk as a team to learn each person's position and how to work well together.
Off duty hours were sometimes spent in downtown Norfolk. Ray watched a lot of tattooing in the many tattoo parlors along the streets. It was fascinating to watch the artists at work.
Ray and his crewmates got more training at the nearby Damneck, Virginia firing range. The crew was trained to fire at flying targets. They were trained on three inch 50 MM, 20-MM guns firing four at a time and 50 Caliber machine guns.
Crews were not given cotton to block the noise from their ears when they arrived at the firing range. As soon as Ray arrived, large guns were fired. Ray had problems immediately with one of his ears. For two weeks he suffered with that ear. He went to Sick Bay where he discovered the noise had punctured his eardrum. The doctor washed out his ear but didn't seem to have a medical solution to make his ear better. The ear problems just got worse.
Time came for Ray's crew to pick up their new ship in Chelsea, Massachusetts. They rode a troop train for several days before reaching Boston. By the time they arrived in Boston, the entire side of Ray's head was swollen. He went to the Naval Hospital in Chelsea where he was admitted for treatment. The swelling went down some after he began taking sulfa drugs every four hours around the clock.
Ray's new ship was the USS Canfield. The crew began preparing for the shakedown cruise. Ray's captain called the hospital to check on Ray's condition. He was still not well. The captain ordered Ray to report for duty even though the doctor said Ray was not ready for discharge from the hospital. Of course, Ray reported for duty even though he still had some swelling from his eardrum puncture.
During the shakedown cruise, the ship sailed to Bermuda. They received depth charges and gunnery training. While the ship was anchored in the bay at Bermuda, Ray got strep throat. He was sent to the hospital ship, USS Hammel, for several days. The doctor told him he needed to have his tonsils removed. This was put on Ray's record but the tonsils were not taken out at that time. Ray returned to the USS Canfield when his throat got better.
A hurricane came up. The ship left the harbor and circled around the island for seven days and nights. The men out on the deck for watch duty had to be strapped down to keep from washing overboard. At times, the ship's screws were out of the water due to the ship passing through really high waves. The ship sometimes would appear to nearly turn over on her side before getting upright again. There was a terrible tremble of the ship when it was leaning so far sideways. The yardarm nearly touched the water on those occasions.
Water was picked up in the ship's ventilators when the ship was rolling so badly. The water in the ventilators dumped out on men sleeping in their bunks. Ray remembers everyone being frightened. One man became so hysterical he had to be held by several other men.
Damage to the ship was heavy. Three holes were knocked in it. The # 1 gun mount was torn up and several ammunition boxes were washed overboard. Also, various other parts of the ship were damaged. The crew returned the ship to Boston where it had to be dry-docked for the major repairs it needed. While the ship was in dry-dock, the crew was reassigned to another ship.
Ray was assigned to the USS Nevada about January of 1944. The USS Nevada was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It had been raised and reconditioned. Now it was time for the Nevada's shakedown cruise to check out her sea readiness.
The Nevada was built for 1500 men. It now had 3000 men on board. Ray had to sleep on the galley deck in a Navy hammock. The ship sailed up to Newfoundland and around the Canadian Islands. It was terribly cold. Sea spray would freeze before dripping off the ship. The ship returned to Boston.
Ray recalls the Nevada went to Hudson River, New York and anchored there around April or May 1944. Not long after arriving in New York, some of the men were transferred off the Nevada. Ray was one of those men. His orders were to report to St. Albans Hospital in St. Albans, New York to get his tonsils removed. Ray reported to the hospital but his tonsils were not removed. In fact, he still had his tonsils when he was discharged.
Meanwhile, the USS Nevada went to Europe to participate in the D-Day Invasion. Some people on the ship were killed and others injured seriously when the twin five inch 38 guns in a turret on the starboard side took a direct hit. Fate kept Ray in the States otherwise; he would have been the hot shell man on the gun's crew. The hot shell man is part of the firing team. After the gun is fired, the hot shell man removes the hot shell so another shell can be put in the gun.
Ray spent quite some time in St. Albans. He was still there at Christmas in 1944. Some friends of his from Brooklyn, New York took Ray home with them for the Christmas Holidays.
The Times Square area in New York had a large USO Center. Pepsi Cola had put up the center for the service men to have a place for entertainment. Ray went there as often as he had liberty. It was a fun place to be when off duty.
Soon after Christmas, Ray was transferred to Anacostia Naval Base near Washington, D.C. where the Navy had a gunnery school. Ray ran 16MM training films showing the synchronized system of the ship from the bridge.
Ray was sent to Brooklyn for Sound/Motion Picture Training School. He learned the operation of the equipment and the parts that made up the 35MM projector and amplifiers. He also learned how to set up a theater. When Ray graduated, he was sent back to Anacostia Naval Base near Washington, D.C.
One of the films Ray showed to the top brass at the Gunnery School was one of Kamikaze pilots hitting ships. The film was the first to arrive in the United States showing the Kamikaze action.
Ray came home on a 72-hour pass on September 1, 1945. His fianc‚e, Jean Moore, was working at the Busy Bee Caf‚ across from the Laurens County Courthouse. Ray asked her to marry him while he was at home. Jean said okay. After all, they had been engaged for awhile. The couple got married on September 2, 1945.
Early Monday morning after their marriage, they left Dublin on the train. Ray and Jean lived in an apartment near the Anacostia Naval Base.
The Washington D.C. area has lots of interesting sights to entertain people. Ray and later Jean enjoyed seeing many monuments, museums, the White House and Mt. Vernon while living in the area.
Ray was discharged from the U.S. Navy on March 16, 1946. He and Jean returned to Dublin. His parents had moved back to Laurens County during the war years. They had purchased a grocery store on Highway 19 and also were involved in farming.
Ray started to work for his dad when he returned to Dublin. He remembers the experience as pleasant and he gained business knowledge running the grocery store.
By 1947, Ray and Jean were ready for a change. They moved to Orlando, Florida where Ray started working for a well drilling company. The company drilled big wells in cities and orange groves. Ray worked on a pump crew and traveled a lot on the job.
Jean became pregnant with their first child when they were in Orlando. Towards the end of the year and the end of Jean's pregnancy, they returned to Dublin. Their son, William Ray Bracewell (Bill) was born in Dublin on December 27, 1947.
Ray started to work as a used car salesman for Hightower Buick Company and later for the local Dodge dealer. An opportunity arose for him to buy a washerteria. The business was on Duncan Street. Ray owned it for several years.
A second child was born to the couple in 1951. Their daughter, Bonnie Bracewell Smith, added to their pleasure of being parents.
Ray purchased a franchise from Clothes-A-Clean, a Jacksonville, Florida business. He owned and operated Ray's Clothes-A-Clean on Rice Avenue for 35 years.
In 1976, friends of Ray, who worked at the courthouse, encouraged him to run for County Treasurer. He did run for that office and won the election. The County Treasurer job was part-time so he worked in the mornings at the laundry and worked afternoons at the courthouse.
Ray was defeated in 1980 when he ran for Probate Judge. A position opened at the Courthouse for a Civil Defense Manager. The job title changed to Emergency Management Director. Ray held that position for 14 years. It was a constantly changing environment as new methods of search, rescue, hurricane and tornado preparedness developed.
The Bracewells are members of Jefferson Street Baptist Church. Ray has served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, on numerous committees over the years and several times on Pastor Search Committees.
Ray is a long time member of the Dublin Lions Club and a former secretary for the club. He enjoys fishing and walking. Golf was a pleasure for several years but had to be given up due to a serious eye condition.
Travel for the Bracewells occurs often. They visit their daughter, Bonnie, and her family in North Georgia and their son, Bill, and his family in California. They have seven grandchildren to enjoy.
Ray and Jean own a beach cottage in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. They make several trips each year to the cottage. It is also a fun place for their children and grandchildren.
In 1975, Ray and Jean traveled to Germany to visit their son who was stationed there in the military at that time. Their son took them on a tour of several European countries. Ray and Jean enjoyed sightseeing in the different countries and observing the different cultures.
The visit to the American Cemetery at Normandy was a very emotional experience for Ray. Another emotional experience for him was their visit to Dachau and walking through the former concentration camp. The reason for the war in Europe became even clearer to him after seeing Dachau.
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