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USS Mertz (DD-691)
Encyclopedia
USS Mertz (DD-691) was a World War II
-era Fletcher-class
destroyer
in the service of the United States Navy
, named after Rear Admiral
Albert Mertz.
Mertz was laid down by Bath Iron Works
Corp., Bath, Maine
, 10 May 1943; launched
11 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Selma M. Allen, daughter of Rear Admiral Mertz; and commissioned
at Charlestown, Massachusetts
, 19 November 1943, Commander
William S. Estabrook, Jr., in command.
, Mertz departed Norfolk, Virginia
, 26 January 1944 for the central Pacific, via the Panama Canal
and San Diego, California
, arriving at Pearl Harbor
5 March. On the 9th, the destroyer got underway for the Marshall Islands
as convoy escort, arriving Majuro Atoll 6 days later. Mertz sailed 22 March to join TG 58.2 on the 26th and act as escort back to Majuro. En route on 31 March, she caught a Japanese
maru at 0600 in the glare of her searchlights. The enemy merchant ship maneuvered to get away, only to go down under the hail of 5 inch projectiles from Mertz. The task group reached Majuro 6 April. Five days later Mertz steamed for the New Hebrides
as a screen for Barnes
, arriving at Espiritu Santo
the 15th.
In mid-May, the destroyer returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the Marianas campaign. She took fire support and patrol station close ashore to Saipan
on 14 June, pounding gun emplacements in the daytime and at night maintaining illumination over the enemy lines until 22 June, when she began screening convoys.
and of Angaur
in the Palau Islands, arriving 10 September. She retired to Manus, Admiralty Islands
, the 23rd to prepare for the invasion of Leyte, Philippines
.
through air attacks to the beach and later in the day patrolled off Dinagat Island
at the entrance to Leyte Gulf
. Early in the morning of 25 October as the Japanese Southern Force approached Leyte Gulf through the Mindanao Sea, Mertz and McNair
patrolled between Desolation Point and Homonhon Island
, lest the enemy fleet choose to steam north along the east coast of Dinagat Island to attack the Allied beachhead. When the Japanese entered Surigao Strait
, Rear Adm. Jesse B. Oldendorf
’s force met and virtually destroyed the enemy armada in the classic “crossing-of-the-T” maneuver known as the Battle of Surigao Strait, part of the overall Battle of Leyte Gulf
. Later that same day Mertz splashed a Zero at several hundred yards with heavy machinegun fire.
With the Leyte beachhead established, the destroyer got underway 26 October for Hollandia
, New Guinea
, anchoring in Humboldt Bay on the 30th to replenish. She got underway for Leyte again 9 November escorting a reinforcement convoy arriving 5 days later. Mertz then continued on to Seeadler Harbor
, Manus, to join a task unit staging for the daring expedition through the Sulu Sea
, controlled by the enemy since early 1942, to capture Mindoro
. The American ships had to contend with both a typhoon and heavy air attacks. Mertz splashed an Ki-43
("Oscar") 15 December and assisted in the destruction of several others. Departing San Pedro Bay
4 January 1945, she made another voyage through the Sulu Sea, to support the invasion of Luzon
at Lingayen Gulf
on the 9th before returning to San Pedro Bay on the 16th.
for 3 months at sea with the Fast Carrier Task Force. During this time, she played a role in the airstrikes on the Tokyo
area 16 February, the landings on Iwo Jima
19 February, and the raids on Okinawa 1 March. While screening the flattops off Kyūshū
, Japan, in March, she downed two more enemy planes. While operating off Okinawa Mertz helped sink Japanese submarine I-56 on 18 April. The destroyer retired to Ulithi 14 May, before returning to Okinawa the 24th. She next steamed to Okino Daito Jima which she bombarded 9 June. The next day, she got underway for Leyte Gulf, anchoring at San Pedro Bay 13 June.
As part of Adm.
Willam F. Halsey
’s 3rd Fleet she cleared San Pedro 1 July, and 9 days later arrived at the launching area off the southeast coast of Tokyo for strike on the Japanese home islands. Beginning with the attacks on Tokyo 10 July, Mertz ranged up and down the coasts of Japan until she joined an antishipping sweep in the Kuriles while en route to the Aleutians. The destroyer arrived at Adak
14 August, the day of Japan’s capitulation.
, 8 September, to operate with the 3rd Fleet during the occupation of the northern Honshū-Hokkaidō
area. On the 15th the destroyer departed Ominato Harbor for the west coast, arriving San Francisco 30 September.
On 1 December, Mertz steamed to San Diego, where she decommissioned 23 April 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was reassigned to the Long Beach, California
, group 1 July 1951 and the Stockton, California
, group 1 January 1959, to remain there into 1969.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era Fletcher-class
Fletcher class destroyer
The Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
in the service of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, named after Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Albert Mertz.
Mertz was laid down by Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
Corp., Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, 10 May 1943; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
11 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Selma M. Allen, daughter of Rear Admiral Mertz; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
at Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
, 19 November 1943, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
William S. Estabrook, Jr., in command.
Arrival In Pacific
After shakedown off BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Mertz departed Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, 26 January 1944 for the central Pacific, via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, arriving at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
5 March. On the 9th, the destroyer got underway for the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
as convoy escort, arriving Majuro Atoll 6 days later. Mertz sailed 22 March to join TG 58.2 on the 26th and act as escort back to Majuro. En route on 31 March, she caught a Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
maru at 0600 in the glare of her searchlights. The enemy merchant ship maneuvered to get away, only to go down under the hail of 5 inch projectiles from Mertz. The task group reached Majuro 6 April. Five days later Mertz steamed for the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
as a screen for Barnes
USS Barnes (CVE-20)
USS Barnes was an escort carrier in the United States Navy. She was the second ship to carry her name.Barnes was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract; transferred to the United States Navy on 1 May 1942; launched on 22 May 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding, Tacoma, Washington;...
, arriving at Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
the 15th.
In mid-May, the destroyer returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the Marianas campaign. She took fire support and patrol station close ashore to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
on 14 June, pounding gun emplacements in the daytime and at night maintaining illumination over the enemy lines until 22 June, when she began screening convoys.
Peleliu and Angaur
Mertz participated in the occupations of PeleliuBattle of Peleliu
The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S...
and of Angaur
Battle of Angaur
The Battle of Angaur was a battle of the Pacific campaign in World War II, fought on the island of Angaur in the Palau Islands from 17 —30 September 1944.-Background:...
in the Palau Islands, arriving 10 September. She retired to Manus, Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, the 23rd to prepare for the invasion of Leyte, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Philippines Campaign
On 20 October, D-Day for the Leyte landing forces, Mertz escorted landing craftLanding craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
through air attacks to the beach and later in the day patrolled off Dinagat Island
Dinagat Island
' is a province in the Philippines, located on the south side of Leyte Gulf. Leyte is to its west, across Surigao Strait, and Mindanao is to its south...
at the entrance to Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
. Early in the morning of 25 October as the Japanese Southern Force approached Leyte Gulf through the Mindanao Sea, Mertz and McNair
USS McNair (DD-679)
USS McNair was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Frederick V. McNair, Sr., ....
patrolled between Desolation Point and Homonhon Island
Homonhon Island
Homonhon Island is an island in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines, on the east side of Leyte Gulf. It is about 20 km long.-History:...
, lest the enemy fleet choose to steam north along the east coast of Dinagat Island to attack the Allied beachhead. When the Japanese entered Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait is a body of water in the Philippines located between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. This strait connects the Bohol Sea with Leyte Gulf and is regularly crossed by ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao...
, Rear Adm. Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse Bartlett "Oley" Oldendorf was an admiral in the United States Navy, famous for defeating a Japanese force in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II...
’s force met and virtually destroyed the enemy armada in the classic “crossing-of-the-T” maneuver known as the Battle of Surigao Strait, part of the overall Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
. Later that same day Mertz splashed a Zero at several hundred yards with heavy machinegun fire.
With the Leyte beachhead established, the destroyer got underway 26 October for Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, anchoring in Humboldt Bay on the 30th to replenish. She got underway for Leyte again 9 November escorting a reinforcement convoy arriving 5 days later. Mertz then continued on to Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...
, Manus, to join a task unit staging for the daring expedition through the Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
, controlled by the enemy since early 1942, to capture Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
. The American ships had to contend with both a typhoon and heavy air attacks. Mertz splashed an Ki-43
Nakajima Ki-43
The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa was a single-engine land-based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II...
("Oscar") 15 December and assisted in the destruction of several others. Departing San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
4 January 1945, she made another voyage through the Sulu Sea, to support the invasion of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
on the 9th before returning to San Pedro Bay on the 16th.
Attacks on Japan
On 10 February, Mertz steamed from UlithiUlithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
for 3 months at sea with the Fast Carrier Task Force. During this time, she played a role in the airstrikes on the Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
area 16 February, the landings on Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
19 February, and the raids on Okinawa 1 March. While screening the flattops off Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Japan, in March, she downed two more enemy planes. While operating off Okinawa Mertz helped sink Japanese submarine I-56 on 18 April. The destroyer retired to Ulithi 14 May, before returning to Okinawa the 24th. She next steamed to Okino Daito Jima which she bombarded 9 June. The next day, she got underway for Leyte Gulf, anchoring at San Pedro Bay 13 June.
As part of Adm.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Willam F. Halsey
William Halsey, Jr.
Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey, Jr., United States Navy, , was a U.S. Naval officer. He commanded the South Pacific Area during the early stages of the Pacific War against Japan...
’s 3rd Fleet she cleared San Pedro 1 July, and 9 days later arrived at the launching area off the southeast coast of Tokyo for strike on the Japanese home islands. Beginning with the attacks on Tokyo 10 July, Mertz ranged up and down the coasts of Japan until she joined an antishipping sweep in the Kuriles while en route to the Aleutians. The destroyer arrived at Adak
Adak Island
Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...
14 August, the day of Japan’s capitulation.
End of World War II and fate
Mertzs first and only peacetime duty came 31 August, when she departed Adak for Japan, arriving Ominato, northern HonshūHonshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, 8 September, to operate with the 3rd Fleet during the occupation of the northern Honshū-Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
area. On the 15th the destroyer departed Ominato Harbor for the west coast, arriving San Francisco 30 September.
On 1 December, Mertz steamed to San Diego, where she decommissioned 23 April 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was reassigned to the Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, group 1 July 1951 and the Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, group 1 January 1959, to remain there into 1969.