USS Merrimack ( AO - 37 ) USS " Merrimack " ( AO - 37 ) ( ex - " Caddo " ) was one of five " Kennebec " - class fleet oilers ( also known as a type T2 tanker ) built during World War II for service in the United States Navy , named after the Merrimack River . The " Merrimack " was laid down as " Caddo " under Maritime Commission contract on 12 September 1940 by Bethlehem Steel Co . , Sparrows Point , Maryland . It was launched on 1 July 1941 and acquired by the U . S . Navy from Socony - Vacuum Oil Company ( later Mobil Oil ) on 31 December 1941 . She was renamed " Merrimack " on 9 January 1942 , and commissioned 4 February 1942 , Capt . William E . Hilbert in command . Service history . Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet , the new fleet oiler spent the next two and a half years steaming the Atlantic seaways carrying oil for Allied ships from Argentia , Newfoundland to Montevideo , Uruguay , and from ports along the U . S . east coast to staging areas in the British Isles and the Mediterranean . Her primary duty was fueling the escorts which protected Allied convoys from German U - boat s . " Merrimack " s most memorable crossing began on 23 October 1942 from Hampton Roads when she sailed with the Southern Attack Group of the Western Naval Task Force for " Operation Torch " , the invasion of North Africa . Twice during the passage she refueled the ships of the task force . A heavy storm broke on 4 November threatening the landings , but Admiral H . Kent Hewitt kept to the original plan . Its mission was to capture the harbor at Safi , Morocco , to cut off French forces in southern Morocco , and to enable the landing of General Patton ' s tanks for operations against Casablanca . For more than a year and a half after the landings in Morocco , " Merrimack " carried oil to support operations in North Africa , Sicily , Italy , and France . On her transatlantic voyages , besides oil , she carried passengers and a wide variety of equipment including PT boat s , patrol craft , and aircraft . While steaming toward Casablanca on 22 June 1943 , she joined minesweeper in rescuing 113 survivors from the " Lot " , a French oiler that had been torpedoed . " Merrimack " departed Norfolk , Virginia , on 14 October 1944 for the Panama Canal and Ulithi , arriving on 1 December . Allied forces were retaking the Philippines and preparing for operations even closer to the Japanese home islands . " Merrimack " joined the 3rd Fleet ' s At - Sea Logistics Support Group to fuel the fast carrier task force . She began the new year supporting raids on Formosa on 3 and 4 January 1945 . The U . S . carriers struck enemy airbases on Luzon , Philippines , on 6 and 7 January to help neutralize Japanese resistance to the invasion of that strategic island which began on the beaches of Lingayen Gulf on the 9th . Naval aircraft which she supported returned to Formosa on the 15th and hit targets along the China coast the following day . They again lashed out at Formosa on the 21st . From 16 February through 2 March , " Merrimack " supported the ships covering the landings on Iwo Jima . During the fight for Okinawa , " Merrimack " alternated between fueling ships involved directly in the landings , and the aircraft carriers during raids to on the Japanese home islands . After Okinawa was secured , the 3rd Fleet concentrated on operations against Japan itself . From 10 through 29 July 1945 , Merrimack supported raids of overwhelming force on Japanese targets which hastened the end of the war . Following Japan ' s capitulation 15 August , " Merrimack " made several cruises between the west coast and the Far East bringing oil for ships supporting the occupation of Japan and operating along the coasts of China and Korea . She was assigned to Military Sea Transportation Service in October 1949 , shortly before beginning pre - inactivation overhaul . " Merrimack " was decommissioned on 8 February 1950 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Orange , Texas . When North Korean forces invaded South Korea in 1950 , " Merrimack " was recommissioned on 6 December 1950 . Assigned to MSTS , the fleet oiler served the Atlantic Fleet , making periodic deployments to the Mediterranean until she was decommissioned on 20 December 1954 , and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego . She was stricken from the Navy List on 4 February 1959 , transferred to the Maritime Administration , and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Beaumont , Texas . The " Merrimack " was disposed of by MARAD exchange on 19 March 1982 . It was sold to Eckhardt & Co . GmbH , Hamburg , for scrapping , and delivered on 29 March 1982 at Beaumont . " Merrimack " received eight battle star s for World War II service .