USS Merrill (DE-392)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 1 July 1943 |
| Launched: | 29 August 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 27 November 1943 |
| Battle Stars: | Not Known |
| Decommissioning: | 1 May 1946 |
| Struck: | 2 April 1971 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping 30 September 1974 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class: | Edsall-class destroyer escort |
| Type: | FMR (geared diesel, Fairbanks-Morse reverse gear drive, 3" guns) |
| Displacement: | 1,200 tons (std) 1,590 tons (full) |
| Length: | 306' (oa), 300' (wl) x 36' 10" x 12' 3" (max) |
| Speed: | 21 knots |
| Range: | 9,100 nm @ 12 knots |
| Complement: | 8 officers, 201 enlisted |
| Armament: | 3 x 3"/50 Mk22 (1x3), 1 twin 40mm Mk1 AA, 8 x 20mm Mk 4 AA, 3 x 21" Mk15 TT (3x1), 1 Hedgehog Projector Mk10 (144 rounds), 8 Mk6 depth charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth charge tracks |
| Propulsion: | 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38d81/8 geared diesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6000 shp, 2 screws |
USS Merrill (DE-392) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Ensign Howard Deel Merrill who was declared dead as of 7 December 1941, as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She was laid down 1 July 1943 by the Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; launched 29 August 1943; sponsored by Miss Dorothy E. Merrill, sister of Ens. H. D. Merrill; and commissioned 27 November 1943, Lt. Comdr. Irvin J. Stephens, USCG, in command.
Contents |
[edit] World War II North Atlantic operations
Following Bermuda shakedown, Merrill reported to the Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia, 28 January 1944. Assigned to CortDiv 45, she began transatlantic escort duty with a North Africa bound convoy 12 February. The destroyer escort continued this duty between American and Mediterranean ports until war ended, successfully escorting 15 convoys across the Atlantic.
[edit] Transfer to the Pacific Fleet
On 6 July 1945, Merrill sailed for Guantánamo Bay for training, thence to Pearl Harbor. En route she received news of the Japanese capitulation on 14 August.
[edit] Post-War Deactivation and Decommissioning
On 3 September she sailed for New York, arrived on the 26th, then on 19 October got underway for Jacksonville, Florida, and deactivation. On 1 May 1946 she decommissioned and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet and berthed at Green Cove Springs, Florida. Into 1969 she was berthed at the Orange, Texas, branch of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 2 April 1971 she was struck from the Navy list, and, on 30 September 1974, she was sold for scrapping.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
- Ens. Howard Deel Merrill
- NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS Merrill (DE-392)
