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;

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.

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.

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.

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.

Decommissioning and fate

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.

External links

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

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