Mr. Mertz, a native of Greenich, Connecticut and a graduate of Yale University, grew up sailing in Long Island Sound. He was commissioned as a US Naval Reserve officer on active duty in 1941.
After subchaser duty in the PC 544 in 1942, he spent six months on the staff of Subchaser Training Center. In November 1943 Mertz assumed command of the USS STURTEVANT (DE 239) in which he participated in convoy duty to the Mediterranean and the Irish Sea.
Gift of James M. Mertz
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1940s