Nicholas and her squadron returned to Mare Island, California in December 1943 for an overhaul. It was the only time she left the war zone during the entire war. At that time, she was modified in accordance with then-prevailing practice (typical 1943–1944 armament).
   The images below were taken 15 and 17 January 1944, when her modifications were nearly complete. Major changes are circled as follows: replacement of the forward 20mm guns with twin 40mm Bofors on the superstructure deck level, with gun directors mounted on top of the

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navigating bridge; addition of two more twin 40mm Bofors in elevated gun tubs abreast the after stack with gun directors mounted on the former searchlight platform on the stack (the 36-inch searchlight was moved to a new platform on the forward stack) and replacement of the 1.1-inch antiaircraft mount between mounts 53 and 54 with a fifth 40mm twin Bofors. She also received a bulwark on the fantail that enclosed the three 20mm Oerlikons mounted there. No other modifications to her radar or fire control were made.
      Nicholas left San Francisco in January 1944 to return to the war zone, and while she was hauled out and scraped on one subsequent occasion, she received no subsequent refits. Thus she returned to the United States at the end of the war with this same “mid-war” armament.