USS Mero

USS Mero (SS-378), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the mero, any of several large groupers found in warm ocean waters.

History
United States
NameUSS Mero (SS-378)
BuilderManitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin[1]
Laid down22 July 1944[1]
Launched17 January 1945[1]
Commissioned17 August 1945[1]
Decommissioned15 June 1946[1]
Recommissioned29 December 1959[1]
Decommissioned20 April 1960[1]
Stricken1 August 1973[2]
FateTransferred to Turkey, 20 April 1960,[2] sold to Turkey, 1 August 1973[1]
Turkish Navy EnsignTurkey
NameTCG Hızırreis (S 344)
Acquired20 April 1960
Commissioned23 August 1960
FateDiscarded 1977; used for spare parts
General characteristics
Class and typeBalao class diesel-electric submarine[2]
Displacement
  • 1,526 tons (1,550 t) surfaced[2]
  • 2,424 tons (2,463 t) submerged[2]
Length311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[2]
Beam27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2]
Draft16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum[2]
Propulsion
Speed
  • 20.25 knots (38 km/h) surfaced[3]
  • 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged[3]
Range11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[3]
Endurance
  • 48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged[3]
  • 75 days on patrol
Test depth400 ft (120 m)[3]
Complement10 officers, 70–71 enlisted[3]
Armament

Construction and commissioning

Mero was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on 22 July 1944; launched on 17 January 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Henry G. Taylor; and commissioned at Manitowoc on 17 August 1945. She was the last submarine built at Manitowoc.

Operational history

United States Navy

Mero got underway for shakedown in Lake Michigan 25 August; thence, between 6 September and 17 November she cruised the Great Lakes and visited several ports including Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago. The Mero tied up at The Michigan Avenue bridge in Chicago and was open to visitors who were allowed aboard for a tour of the boat. Placed in floating drydock 9 November – 2 November, she reached New Orleans via the Mississippi River 29 November, on 6 December sailed for the Canal Zone, trained there a month, then sailed for Pearl Harbor 19 January 1946.

Mero reached Pearl 5 February and operated out of there until sailing for the west coast 22 February. Arriving San Francisco Bay 1 March, after preinactivation overhaul, she steamed to Mare Island 14 March to join the 19th Fleet, and decommissioned there 15 June 1946. Assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet, she remained berthed at Mare Island until converted to a Fleet Snorkel submarine in 1960.

Turkish Navy
For other ships with the same name, see TCG Hızırreis.

On 20 April 1960, Mero was transferred on loan to Turkey under the Military Assistance Program. The Turkish Navy renamed her TCG Hızırreis (S 344). After her voyage from San Francisco, Hızırreis was commissioned into Turkish Navy service on 23 August 1960.

On 1 August 1973, Hızırreis was formally sold to Turkey and struck from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register. She was discarded by the Turkish Navy in 1977 and used for spare parts.

References
  1. Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285–304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
  2. Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275–280. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
  3. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
  4. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
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