home islands and their need for minesweepers increased—doubly so with the disastrous toll among that type ship in the Ryukyus—Mervine was designated for conversion. On 23 May she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard where she became a destroyer minesweeper. Reclassified as DMS-31 on 30 May 1945, she departed for Norfolk on 15 July, and continued on to the Pacific. En route at the time of the Japanese surrender she arrived at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on 28 September. In October, she swept mines off the China coast near Kokuzan. Shifting to Japanese waters the following month, she operated first off Kyūshū and then off Honshū. Post war Mervine reported to San Francisco on 31 March 1946 for two years of west coast operations before returning to the Far East. On 25 March 1948 she arrived at Yokosuka and continued on to Tsingtao, China, where she carried out escort, rescue, and training assignments until 5 October when she departed for the United States. Arriving at her homeport San Diego, in November, she soon departed again for training and availability at Pearl Harbor. On 15 February 1949 she returned to southern California for the last time. On 27 May she decommissioned and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego. Redesignated DD-489 again on 15 July 1955, she remained at San Diego until the end of the decade and then was transferred first to the Columbia River Reserve Group and finally to Bremerton. Struck on 31 July 1968 from the Navy list, she was sold for scrap in 1969. Awards Mervine received three battle stars for her World War II service. References External links history.navy.mil: USS Mervine navsource.org: USS Mervine hazegray.org: USS Mervine World War II destroyers of the United States Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1942 ships Gleaves-class destroyers of the United States Navy