USS Merrill (DE-392)

History
United States
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	1,253 tons standard; 1,590 tons full load;
Length	306 feet (93.27 m)
Beam	36.58 feet (11.15 m)
Draft	10.42 full load feet (3.18 m)
Propulsion	4 FM diesel engines,; 4 diesel-generators,; 6,000 shp (4.5 MW),; 2 screws;
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h)
Range	9,100 nmi. at 12 knots; (17,000 km at 22 km/h);
Complement	8 officers, 201 enlisted
Armament	3 × single 3 in (76 mm)/50 guns ; 1 × twin 40 mm AA guns ; 8 × single 20 mm AA guns ; 1 × triple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes ; 8 × depth charge projectors; 1 × depth charge projector (hedgehog); 2 × depth charge tracks;

Last updated November 19, 2023

USS Merrill (DE-392) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was sold for scrapping in 1974.

Namesake

Howard Deel Merrill was born on 16 December 1917 at Provo, Utah. He was appointed midshipman at the United States Naval Academy on 25 June 1936. Commissioned Ensign on 6 June 1940, he reported for duty on the USS Arizona on 2 July. He was declared dead as of 7 December 1941, as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.^[1]

Construction and commissioning

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.^[1]

Battle of the Atlantic

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.^[1]

Pacific War

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.^[1]

Decommissioning and fate

On 3 September 1945 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.^[1] On 2 April 1971 she was struck from the Navy list, and, on 30 September 1974, she was sold for scrapping.

Related Research Articles

USS Laning (DE-159/APD-55) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1957. She was scrapped in 1975.

USS Snyder (DE-745) was a Cannon-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean and provided escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS Amick (DE-168) was a Cannon-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and then the Pacific Ocean and provided escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS Stern (DE-187) was a Cannon-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. In 1951, she was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy where she served as Hr.Ms. Van Zijll (F811) until 1967. She was scrapped in 1968.

USS Jacob Jones (DE-130) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and provided destroyer escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS Herbert C. Jones (DE-137) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS Sturtevant (DE-239) was an Edsall class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1960. She was scrapped in 1973.

USS Moore (DE-240) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS J. Richard Ward (DE-243) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. She was named in honor of James Richard Ward who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic efforts under fire on the USS Oklahoma (BB-37). She was launched by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas, 6 January 1943; sponsored by Miss Marjorie Ward, sister of Seaman First Class Ward; and commissioned 5 July 1943.

USS Otterstetter (DE-244) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS Howard D. Crow (DE-252) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.

USS Ricketts (DE-254) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1974.

USS Kirkpatrick (DE-318) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Post-war, she was converted to a radar picket ship to support the DEW Line.

USS Koiner (DE-331) 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. Post-war, she was loaned to the U.S. Coast Guard, and also reclassified as a radar picket ship.

USS Price (DE-332) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947 and from 1956 to 1960. She was scrapped in 1975.

USS Strickland (DE-333) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1952 to 1959. She was sold for scrapping in 1974.

USS Roy O. Hale (DE-336) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1957 to 1963. She was scrapped in 1975.

USS Keith (DE-241) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1974.

USS Hollis (DE-794/APD-86) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1956. She was scrapped in 1975.

USS Ringness (APD-100) was a Crosley-class high speed transport that served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. After spending 29 years in reserve, she was sold for scrapping in 1975.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

1 2 3 4 5 "Merrill I (DE-392)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 26 January 2018.

External links

NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS Merrill (DE-392)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[DANFS-1] 1 2 3 4 5 "Merrill I (DE-392)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 26 January 2018.

[1]