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USS Merak (AF-21) (Wikipedia) USS Merak (AF-21), the second Navy ship of the name, was the United Fruit Company cargo and passenger liner Veragua that served as a United States Navy Mizar-class stores ship in World War II. 
According to Wikipedia, Merak is 79.7 ± 0.3 ly away, or approximately 953 to 960 light months away. On May 11, 2024, this means the light left Merak as late as December 1944 (953 months ago) or as early as May 1944 (960 months ago). During this period the world was at war. The USS Merak, a cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy, was making Caribbean and transatlantic voyages. In June, D-Day was launched. In August, Paris was liberated, and in December, Germany launched the Battle of the Bulge. Also of note was the Holocaust throughout this period. The war would not be ended for another year.
