on 24 May. She next steamed to Okino Daito Jima which she bombarded on 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 on 1 July, and nine 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. 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 Honshū, on 8 September, to operate with the 3rd Fleet during the occupation of the northern Honshū-Hokkaidō area. On 15 September the destroyer departed Ominato Harbor for the west coast, arriving San Francisco on 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. Mertz was finally sold for scrap on 16 December 1971. Awards Mertz received 10 battle stars for World War II service. References External links navsource.org: USS Mertz hazegray.org: USS Mertz World War II destroyers of the United States Ships built in Bath, Maine 1943 ships Fletcher-class destroyers of the United States Navy