USS MERTZ DD-691

A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History

USS MERTZ DD-691

The Tin Can Sailor, January 2002

The MERTZ (DD-691) was launched on 11 September and commissioned on 19 November 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard. By 9 March 1944 she was underway for the Marshall Islands. While screening the carriers in the raid on Palau on 31 March, she was ordered to intercept a Japanese merchant vessel attempting to escape under cover of darkness. Caught in the destroyer’s searchlights, the enemy ship tried vainly to evade the fire of the MERTZ’s 5-inch guns, which ultimately sent her to the bottom.

During the invasion of Saipan on 14 June she was assigned fire support duty, pounding enemy shore batteries from positions close inshore in the daytime and at night maintaining illumination over the enemy lines. She went on to Tinian where she operated with an escort carrier support group and then participated in the occupation of Pelelieu and Anguar on 10 September. She retired to Manus, in the Admiralties, on the 23rd to prepare for the invasion of Leyte.

On 20 October 1944, D-Day for the Leyte landing forces, the MERTZ escorted landing craft through air attacks to the beachhead 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, the MERTZ and McNAIR (DD-679) patrolled between Desolation Point and Homonhon Island. In the ensuing battle, the American force destroyed the enemy armada in the Battle of Surigao Strait. The next day, a low-flying Zeke attacked the MERTZ whose heavy machine guns brought it down several hundred yards away.

The destroyer got underway on 26 October for Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, but was back off Leyte again on 9 November escorting a reinforcement convoy. She continued on from Leyte to Seeadler Harbor, Manus, to join a task unit staging for a daring expedition through the Sulu Sea to capture Mindoro, which the enemy had controlled since 1942. She steamed with the group to Kossol Passage, Palau, where they were delayed in mid-December by the deadly Typhoon Cobra that took a heavy toll on American forces. Underway again, the U.S. ships fought their way through heavy air attacks during which the MERTZ splashed one plane and assisted in bringing down several others. Two kamikazes narrowly missed the carrier MARCUS ISLAND (ACV-77) to crash close aboard the MERTZ.

On 9 January 1945, she was on hand to support the invasion of Luzon at Lingayen Gulf where she helped beat off an attack of suicide planes. Steaming with the fast carrier task force, she screened carriers as they launched their planes for strikes on Tokyo on 16 February, and then for the landings on Iwo Jima on 19 February, and the raids on Okinawa on 1 March. While screening the flattops off Kyushu, Japan, in March, she downed two more enemy planes and off Okinawa, she helped sink the Japanese submarines RO-46 and I-56. After a brief retirement to Ulithi she was back off Okinawa on 24 May. She went on to bombard  Okino Daito Shima on 9 June and by 13 June was anchored in San Pedro Bay, in the Leyte Gulf.

In July 1945 she ranged up and down the coast of Japan with the fast carriers of Task Force 38 and with the battleships participated in the bombardments of Muroran, Hokkaido, on 15 July and Hitachi, Honshu, on the 17th. On 10 August, with DesRon 54, she joined an antishipping sweep and shore bombardment in the Northern Kuriles en route to the Aleutians. Four miles south of Paramishiro, the MERTZ sighted five small Japanese ships. Before darkness enabled one to escape, she sank four of the enemy vessels and continued on to Adak, arriving in the morning of 14 August.

The MERTZ left Adak for Japan and arrived at Ominato on 8 September to enforce the surrender of Japanese forces on Northern Honshu and Hokkaido. Finally, on 15 September 1945, she weighed anchor and set course for home. Fifteen days later, twenty months out of Boston Navy Yard, having steamed 170,000 miles operating with every fleet in the Pacific, she passed under the Golden Gate Bridge.

On 1 December 1945 the MERTZ arrived in San Diego where she was decommissioned on 23 April 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 October 1970 and was sold for scrap in February 1972.

USS MERTZ DD-691 Ship History

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, April 2016

Mertz (DD‑691) 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 Mass., 19 November 1943, Comdr. William S. Estabrook, Jr., in command.

After shakedown off Bermuda Mertz departed Norfolk, 26 January 1944 for the central Pacific, via the Panama Canal and San Diego, arriving Pearl Harbor 5 March. On the 9th the destroyer got underway for the Marshalls 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 (CVE‑20), arriving 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.

Mertz participated in the occupation of Pelelieu and Anguar in the Palau Islands, arriving 10 September. She retired to Manus, Admiralties, the 23d to prepare for the invasion of Leyte, Philippines.

On 20 October, D‑Day for the Leyte landing forces, Mertz escorted landing craft 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 (DD‑679) 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 for Leyte Gulf. Later that same day Mertz splashed a “Zeke” 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 “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.

On 10 February Mertz steamed from Ulithi 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 Kyushu, Japan, in March, she downed two more enemy planes. While operating off Okinawa Mertz helped sink two Japanese submarines: RO‑46 on 9 April and 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. William F. Halsey’s 3d 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 Adak 14 August, the day of Japan’s capitulation.

Mertz’s first and only peacetime duty came 31 August when she departed Adak for Japan, arriving Ominato, northern Honshu, 8 September to operate with the 3d Fleet during the occupation of the northern Honshu‑Hokaido 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, Calif., group 1 July 1951 and the Stockton, Calif., group 1 January 1959 to remain there into 1969.

Mertz received 10 battle stars for World War II service.