USS Merrill (DE-392)
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.
| History | |
|---|---|
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| Namesake: | Howard Deel Merrill |
| Builder: | Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas |
| Laid down: | 1 July 1943 |
| Launched: | 29 August 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 27 November 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 1 May 1946 |
| Stricken: | 2 April 1971 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping 30 September 1974 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Edsall-class destroyer escort |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 306 feet (93.27 m) |
| Beam: | 36.58 feet (11.15 m) |
| Draft: | 10.42 full load feet (3.18 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h) |
| Range: |
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| Complement: | 8 officers, 201 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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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.
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.
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.
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.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
