DD–976 · SPRUANCE-CLASS DESTROYER
USS Merrill
United States Navy · 1978–1998
Explore the ship’s record ↓THE SHIP
A record of service.
USS Merrill · DD–976
Spruance-class destroyer
- Commissioned
- 11 Mar 1978
- Decommissioned
- 26 Mar 1998
- Length · class baseline
- 563 ft 4 in
- Beam · class baseline
- 55 ft
- Propulsion
- 4 × LM2500 turbines
- Power / shafts
- 80,000 shp / 2
THE NAMESAKE · DD–976
Rear Admiral Aaron Stanton Merrill
DD-976 was named in honor of Rear Admiral Merrill.
ORIGIN & DESIGN
Built at Pascagoula.
USS Merrill (DD-976) was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi as part of the Spruance class. Designed around antisubmarine warfare, the ships combined gas-turbine propulsion with a flight deck and hangar for embarked helicopters.
Commissioned U.S. Navy service spanned 1978–1998. The record below describes the launcher configuration; the photographs preserve individual moments at sea and in port.
THE SHIP AT A GLANCE
Armored box launchers
Tomahawk missiles were carried in two armored box launchers (ABLs). This ship did not receive the Mk 41 VLS conversion. ASROC equipment and other fittings should be read in the context of the photograph’s date.
Equipment changed during each ship’s service. This is a later-service summary; photographs may show earlier configurations.
Shared design, individual service
Two 5-inch/54 Mk 45 guns; Harpoon; NATO Sea Sparrow; torpedo tubes; Phalanx close-in defense in later service.
Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi. The class combined gas-turbine propulsion, helicopter facilities, and an emphasis on antisubmarine warfare.
Explore the class designPHOTOGRAPHS & ARTIFACTS
From the Merrill collection
THE RECORD · NHHC ARCHIVE
USS Merrill in the archival record
SPRUCAN is preserving high-resolution source material documenting USS Merrill and the people, machinery and operations surrounding her. The images below are publication derivatives from preservation files acquired from the Naval History and Heritage Command.
Archival record identifiers are shown while individual dates, locations and descriptions are being verified against source metadata. Preservation masters remain separate from these web copies.
Naval History and Heritage Command archival image.
Wikipedia: DD-976 service record · Dates cross-checked September 22, 2026.
Further reading
NavSource: USS Merrill · Destroyer History Foundation: class overview · USS Merrill: ship reference
Service dates follow the linked NavSource ship record. Class dimensions are a design baseline, not a claim that displacement, draft, crew size, or equipment stayed constant. Images combine the SPRUCAN collection with credited archival photographs. Source records appear beneath newly verified images.