From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Briareus was a mythological giant of the sea, an enemy of Poseidon, and an inventor of warships.

(AR-12: dp. 8975; l. 490'6"; b. 69'6"; dr. 23'6"; s. 18 k.; cpl. 903; a. 1 5", 4 3"; cl. Delta)

Briareus (AR-12) was launched in 1941 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., as Hawaiian Planter; purchased by the Navy 16 February 1943, and commissioned as Briareus 15 November 1943, Commander J. F. Warris in command.

On 3 January 1944 Briareus sailed for Pearl Harbor where she completed repairs on 18 ships of various types. On 25 February she departed for Noumea, New Caledonia and subsequently sailed to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. During her six months stay in the New Hebrides she performed all types of repairs on 124 vessels.

Briareus weighed anchor for Manus, Admiralty Islands, 22 September. Here she helped prepare the fleet for the Philippine invasion. She continued repairing battle-damaged ships at Manus and later at Purvis Bay in the Solomon Islands until July 1945. At this time she was assigned to Service Division 101 and commenced repair work at Leyte. On 18 September she arrived at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, for further repair duty. In December she departed for Norfolk where she carried out repair work until joining the 16th Fleet for inactivation. On 15 October 1946 Briareus went out of commission in reserve at Norfolk.

Briareus was recommissioned 22 September 1951 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and reported to the Service Force, Atlantic Fleet. For three years she repaired ships of the Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk and engaged in training exercises off the Virginia Capes, and Guantanamo, Cuba. Primarily based at Norfolk, she also spent brief intervals repairing vessels at Charleston, S. C., Port Everglades and Mayport, Fla. Briareus entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard 26 May 1955 for general overhaul and then joined the Norfolk Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet going out of commission in reserve 9 September 1955.