USS Myers

	USS Myers
History
United States
Name	USS Myers
Namesake	Machinist's Mate First Class Merton B. Myers (1921-1943), a U.S. Navy sailor and Navy Cross recipient
Builder	Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down	15 January 1944
Launched	15 February 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Ralph W. Myers
Commissioned	26 March 1945
Decommissioned	13 January 1947
Reclassified	From destroyer escort (DE-595) to high-speed transport (APD-105) 17 July 1944
Stricken	1 June 1960
Fate	Sold to Colombia for use as a floating power station
Notes	Laid down as Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Myers (DE-595)
General characteristics
Class and type	Crosley-class high speed transport
Displacement	2,130 long tons (2,164 t) full
Length	306 ft (93 m)
Beam	37 ft (11 m)
Draft	12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
Speed	23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Troops	162
Complement	204
Armament	1 × 5 in (130 mm) gun; 6 × 40 mm guns; 6 × 20 mm guns; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Myers (APD-105), ex-DE-595, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1947.

Namesake

Merton Bernell Myers was born 15 January 1921 in Long Island City, New York. He enlisted in the Navy 23 August 1939 at Indianapolis, Indiana. As machinist’s mate first class, he was serving on USS Eberle when on 10 March 1943 his ship intercepted German blockade runner Karin in the South Atlantic. Myers volunteered for the boarding party which tried to save Karin from demolition charges set by her crew. All efforts were to no avail; after helping his shipmates to escape the sinking ship, Myers was killed in an explosion. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.

Construction and commissioning

Myers was laid down as the Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Myers (DE-595) on 15 January 1944 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., at Hingham, Massachusetts, and was launched on 15 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Ralph W. Myers, the mother of the ship's namesake, Machinist's Mate First Class Merton B. Myers. The ship was reclassified as a Crosley-class high-speed transport and redesignated APD-105 on 17 July 1944. After conversion to her new role, she was commissioned on 26 March 1945.

Service history

After shakedown off Cuba, Myers moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where she trained officers and men assigned to new high-speed transports. After a period of refresher training in the Caribbean, she proceeded to Newport, Rhode Island, to train prospective crews for new aircraft carriers and cruisers. She operated along the United States East Coast for the rest of her active career.

Decommissioning and disposal

Myers was decommissioned on 13 January 1947 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Florida. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1960 and subsequently sold to the government of Colombia for use as a floating power plant.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive DE-595 / APD-105 Myers