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.^[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]