Destroyer Photo Index DD-976 USS MERRILL (original) (raw)

USS MERRILL (DD-976)

Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - SCOUTMASTER

CLASS - SPRUANCE As Built.
Displacement 7800 Tons (Full), Dimensions, 563' (oa) x 55' x 20' 6" (Max)
Armament 2 x 5"/54 RF (2x1), 1 Sea Sparrow SAM (1x8) ASROC ASW (1x8),
6 x 12.75" Mk 32 ASW TT (2x3). 1 Helicopter.
Machinery, 80,000 SHP; 4 LM 2500 Gas Turbines, 2 screws
Speed, 30 Knots, Range 6000 NM@ 20 Knots, Crew 296.
Operational and Building Data
Laid down by Litton Ingalls, Pascagoula Miss. June 16 1975.
Launched September 1 1976 and commissioned March 11 1978.
Decommissioned and Stricken March 26 1998.
Fate Sunk as a target August 1 2003, 022� 43' 53.0" North, 160� 29' 23.0" West.

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
[1] [2]	120k78k	Vice Admiral Aaron Stanton Merrill. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1912, Merrill taught naval science at Tulane University during the first two years of World War II until being assigned command of the USS Indiana. After promotion to read admiral in January 1943, Merrill would lead a cruiser-destroyer task force participating in the Battle of Guadalcanal and would later win distinction during the Bougainville campaign at the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay successfully defending ground forces against an assault by the Japanese fleet in a hard fought night battle. In March 1943, during the Solomon Island campaign, he would first introduce the use of radar against enemy naval forces at the Battle of Kula Gulf. For his efforts he received both the Legion of Merit and the Navy Cross. Serving as Director of Office of Public Relations for the Navy Department from June 15, 1944 until April 23, 1945, Merrill would join a diplomatic delegation to meet with members of the Chilean government to discuss mutual defence policies in Santiago, Chile. While in attendance, Merrill's efforts to establish an American naval mission to Chile in place of the former British presence would earn him the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit by Chile. In June 1946, after briefly serving for several months as commandant of the Eight Naval District in New Orleans, Louisiana, Merrill assumed command of Gulf Sea Frontier remaining in this post until being placed on the retired list in November 1947, eventually retiring a Vice Admiral. Moving first to Natchez, Mississippi and later to New Orleans following his retirement. [1] Photo #: 80-G-57539. Rear Admiral Aaron S. Merrill, USN (left) Working with a maneuvering board on USS Montpelier (CL-57), during operations in the Solomon Islands, 23 December 1943. Captain W.D. Brown is also present. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.	Bill Gonyo
	92k	Undated, location unknown.	-
	109k	Undated, location unknown.	-
	105k	Undated, location unknown. Merrill was the first surface ship to fire a Tomahawk misile.	RM2 Cliff Schuchart/Jerry Hays
	64k	Undated, location unknown. Firing a tomahawk missile.	RM2 Cliff Schuchart
	54k	Undated postcard Copyright © Marine Photos, San Diego, CA.	Mike Smolinski
	84k	Undated off San Diego.	Bill Gonyo
	74k	Undated, location unknown.	Daniel Carter
	189k	Undated, at Vancouver. Photo by Rick Garcia.	Chris Howell
	165k	Undated, location unknown.	Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR (Ret.)
	100k	March 19 1980, first test firing of a Tomahawk missle from the Merrill.	Robert Hurst
	44k	August 1 1981, Pacific Ocean, aA view of an RIM-7 Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile silhouetted against the superstructure of the destroyer USS Merrill (DD-976) during a test launch.	Fred Weiss
	68k	Longview, WA June 1984.	Marc Pich�
	62k	January 24 1985, location unknown: An aerial port quarter view of the Spruance class destroyer USS Merrill (DD 976) underway. An Anti-submarine Squadron 6 (HS-6) SH-3 Sea King helicopter is parked on the deck.	Fred Weiss
	167k	USS New Jersey Battle Group Romeo from 1986 Westpac.	RM2 Cliff Schuchart
	109k	At anchor off of the beach of Pattaya, Thailand, circa 1986-1988.	RM2 Cliff Schuchart
Welcome Aboard pamphlet - circa 1988	Darryl Baker
	90k	Vancouver, BC August 1989.	Marc Pich�
	80k	Subic Bay, Philippines circa 1991.	AMS3 Rowan
	68k	June 1 1991, location unknown, a starboard bow view of the destroyer USS Merrill (DD-976) underway.	Fred Weiss
	97k	As above.	AMS3 Rowan
	54k	Vancouver, BC August 15 1992.	Marc Pich�
	59k	Columbia River July 1994.	Marc Pich�
	146k	View from the USS Sacramento (AOE-1) off Southern California in the fall/winter 1994-1995 during Battlegroup workups prior to the 1995 WESTPAC.	Douglas Brown
	140k	September 11 1997, location unknown.	Bill Gonyo
	126k	September 30 1997, an SH-60 Seahawk helicopter from HSL-43 prepares to land aboard the USS Merrill (DD-976) during fleet operations in the Western Pacific.	Bill Gonyo
	73k	June 4 2000, Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor, Oahu Hawaii, starboard bow view of four decommissioned Spruance class destroyers. They are: USS Ingersoll (DD 990 ), USS Harry W. Hill (DD 986), USS Leftwich (DD 984) and USS Merrill (DD 976). The ships are moored at the Naval Ships Intermediated Maintenance Facility.	Fred Weiss
	49k	Left to right - USS Ingersoll (DD-990), USS Harry W. Hill (DD-986), USS Merrill (DD-976) and USS Leftwich (DD-984) at NISMF Pearl Harbor August 1 2000. Thanks to Michael C. Potter who gave us the proper ID's.	Jim Bedient
	58k	Same as above, different angle.	Jim Bedient
	79k	The ship's commissioning plaque.	RM2 Cliff Schuchart
	70k	Ship's patch.	Mike Smolinski
	104k	Ship's Zippo.	Tommy Trampp