The Merryweather Heist

The Merryweather Heist is a mission in Grand Theft Auto V. It is the second heist mission in the game that protagonists Michael De Santa and Franklin Clinton execute and the first to also involve Trevor Philips. As the mission Three's Company features the first meeting of Trevor and Franklin, it must be completed before the main heist is unlocked, though the preparation missions can be done in advance of this.

Preparation
In order to perform the heist, Trevor must perform a couple of side-missions (Heist Setups) to get the necessary equipment. The preparation missions varies based on the chosen method in Scouting the Port.

Freight
Only one preparation mission, Minisub has to be performed, requires stealing a Submarine from the Port of Los Santos.

It is recommended that Franklin get practice at the Shooting Range but this is not required to initiate the heist.

Offshore
Two preparation missions have to be performed:


 * The first one, Minisub also has to be performed in this method, same thing of the freight method.

It is recommended that Michael gets training at the Flight School but this is not required to initiate the heist.
 * The second one, Cargobob involves stealing a Cargobob helicopter from the Fort Zancudo.

Triggering the mission
Canonically, the first meeting between Trevor and Franklin takes place during the mission "Three's Company". As such, while the set-up missions may be completed beforehand, the main mission will not unlock until "Three's Company" is completed, at which point Trevor will e-mail both Michael and Franklin that he's ready.

Mission
Depending on the chosen method in Scouting the Port, the entire mission will play in either of two ways :

Freight
Make sure to complete the Shooting Range as Franklin if you choose this method.

Find a 4-seater car, and drop Franklin on the side of Miriam Turner Overpass at the Port of Los Santos. After that, you will take control of Franklin; run to the vantage point. Time passes at dusk. Now Michael is at position at water.

As Franklin, snipe the guards on the freighter using the sniper rifle with the thermal scope. Try firing if and only if they are far from each other. If you missed a shot, kill the guard you are supposed to kill immediately before the alarm is raised.

After killing all guards on the ship, you will now switch to Michael. Trevor has 4 spots for the bombs to be planted.

Switch between the two (Michael and Franklin) while planting the bombs.

Plant the bombs in the following: After planting the first three, switch to Franklin to protect Michael as he enters the room. However, the alarm's raised and they have seen you. Take them down, and try using the RPG to flank groups. A Buzzard will appear. Kill the pilot quickly, as he uses the miniguns to kill you faster. Once it is destroyed, continue firing. Michael will come out as he finished planting the bombs. Now kill all guards on the ship until Michael runs from the northern side and jumps into the water!
 * 1) At the bow pillar
 * 2) At the first mast
 * 3) At the second mast

As he says he's clear from the ship, open up your cellphone, choose Contacts, and then "Detonate".

Now the ship's wrecked, you will be switched to Michael in the water in a Scuba Suit. Dive underwater, and the sonar on it will give out the location of the device. If the blips on the map gets thin, it means the device is near you. Approach it. Now you will take control of Trevor in a Submersible. Get to the device. Drive under it to pick it up, and head for the safe area in the form of a corona. A crane will pick you up during the cutscenes. Mission complete.

Offshore
Make sure to complete the Flight School as Michael if you choose this method.

Find a 4-seater car. Drive to the airstrip in Sandy Shores.

After getting in the airfield, get in the Cargobob and go above the submersible and use the grappling hook to pick it up. Now fly to the test site on Paleto Cove, and after flying close to it, release the submersible in the test site.

Now you take control of the submersible underwater. Open up your cellphone, and the Trackify application will automatically trigger and locate the target. The map has a depth meter with an up and down arrow. The target is located 0.1 miles up the surface and 0 feet below sea level. Approach the device, and ascend to sea level.

You will take control of Michael again in the helicopter. Pick up the submersible by means of the grappling hook. Return to the airstrip, but a few moments later, the Merryweather Security appears in boats. Switch to Franklin and destroy them. Press the left and right on the D-Pad to switch sides of the helicopter. Once you switch sides, a helicopter is in there. Destroy the 2 boats and then the helicopter. More helicopters will appear, since you went out already on the waters. Kill the gunman on each helicopter, then kill the pilot or just destroy it. Now 2 helicopters, one of them WITH missiles will attack you. Kill them immediately and precisely.

Now all enemies are killed; continue flying to the airstrip, fly low and release the submersible. Mission complete.

Freight

 * Find a vehicle. - (Trevor)
 * Go to the Miriam Turner Overpass. - (Trevor)
 * Cover Michael while he sets the bombs. - (Franklin)
 * Plant the four bombs. - (Michael)
 * Cover Michael so he can escape the ship. - (Franklin)
 * Detonate the bombs. - (Franklin)
 * Find the device among the ship weckage. - (Michael)
 * Go to the device. - (Trevor)
 * Take the device to the secure area. - (Trevor)

Offshore

 * Go to the Sandy Shores Airfield. - (Michael)
 * Enter in the Cargobob. - (Michael)
 * Pick the Submarine. - (Michael)
 * Go to the location of the tests. - (Michael)
 * Release the submarine close to the location of the tests - (Michael)
 * Use the Trackify application to find the device. - (Trevor)
 * Pick the device. - (Trevor)
 * Go to the surface. - (Trevor)
 * Pick the submarine. - (Michael)
 * Destroy all the Merryweather reinforcements. - (Franklin)
 * Go back to the Sandy Shores Airfield. - (Michael)

Freight

 * Headshots - Kill 12 enemies with a headshot
 * Accuracy - Finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 80%
 * Ninja - Kill 12 enemies using stealth attacks
 * Container Hunter - Find the container within 60 seconds
 * No Alarms - Get to the ship interior without being detected

Offshore

 * Salvager - Find the container within 02:00
 * Time - Complete within 14:30
 * Show no Mercenary - Eliminate all pursuing Merryweather enemies.
 * Weathering the Storm - Escape the pursuing Merryweather enemies in less than 4 minutes.

Daily Globe Newspaper
"Explosions ran through the Port of South Los Santos last night and a container ship sunk into the harbor. This isn't how Don Percival, CEO of Merryweather Security Consulting, wanted to celebrate his company getting clearance to work at the Port of Los Santos. Along with a high value courier service, running a special security detail at the Port is one of the main contracts Merryweather have taken on since Congress gave them a domestic pass. Despite some witnesses claiming to hear gunfire, Percival insisted that the ship was sunk due to explosions in a malfunctioning gas tank. Anti-Merryweather activists point to a similar incident in the Sudan where Merryweather soldiers, drunk and full on steroids, accidentally engaged other Merryweather soldiers in a "combat situation", then attempted to blame it on local insurgents. A full investigation into the incident has been launched."

Lifeinvader Posts

 * Lester Crest - "Next time you pick a job maybe try something that isn't going to start World War 3? When did you get so stupid? Oh wait, yes, during the last 10 years you've spent sitting in the sun drinking yourself to death. I forgot."

Bleeter Posts
(Freight Method)
 * @rockford_captain67 - "First the overcooked duck breast, now thanks to some terrorists blowing up a boat at the Port of South Los Santos the Yacht Club wants to install an xray machine. What next...woman in the clubhouse?"
 * @jacksonbbj_1996 - "teachers tellin us about the highjacking of submarine from the shiping terminal and i say it should be called a lowjacking coz a subnmarines under water lol! hahahahha class in total stitches"

(Offshore Method)
 * @geraldinok6 - "We tell everyone we have the greatest military on earth but we can't stop some hoods stealing helicopters from an army base on home soil? Pathetic. The world is laughing at us, President Lawton!!
 * @plonkafreddie - "Im cruising down on Great Ocean Highway look out at the sea and think i see a firework display on this big boat... then I look again...and realize theyre godamn gunshots!!!!"

Trivia

 * If the offshore method is chosen, the dialogue between Trevor and Michael on the way to the airfield will change, depending if the player, as Michael, has completed the Flight School or not. The same thing happens in the freight method, with the dialogue between Trevor and Franklin on the way to the bridge, changing depending if the player, as Franklin, has completed the Shooting Range or not.
 * If the freight method is chosen and the mission Hood Safari has been completed previously to this mission, Trevor and Franklin will mention the events of that mission on the way to the bridge.
 * In the freight method, Franklin makes a reference to the events of the mission Three's Company while the Buzzard is trying to kill him. He says: "This is the second time one of those evil helicopters comes after me, Trevor and the FIB are bad news!".
 * If the offshore method was chosen, after the mission ends, the Submarine can be found in a small courtyard by the side of the warehouse in the Sandy Shores Airfield. The player will need a Cargobob to take the submarine back to water so it can be used (normally found in Fort Zancudo, see below).
 * Normally, infiltrating Fort Zancudo is extremely difficult, however it is somewhat easier during the the Cargobob setup mission for the offshore method. During the setup mission, park the helicopter on the Airfield's helipad instead of marked spot near the hanger, then exit the cockpit and run away from the Cargobob until you trigger the mission failure. Exit instead of retrying the mission and then save the game (quicksave). While you will have to go back to Fort Zancudo and repeat the setup mission, at this stage in the game there is no other easy way to obtain the Cargobob. You cannot keep the Cargobob after completing the heist, as Wade will take it to return the device.
 * No matter which path you chose, the device is returned at the end on Lester Crest's advice. Hence, the player will not get any money (total pot was $20 million) from this heist regardless of the method chosen or your success in meeting the gold medal objectives.
 * In the beta, Wade was using a Juggalo makeup in the initial cutscene of the freight method.
 * No matter which method is chosen, EyeFind will still report that the freighter was attacked, however, the Bleeter posts will be different.
 * The device that Trevor tried to steal (implied to be a US government superweapon) was worth 20 million dollars according to the final statistics of the mission.
 * The Submersible you acquire for this mission is much more durable than the one found at the Sonar Collections Dock. It is able to withstand the pressure at the farthest point you can go down in the ocean, around 0.15 miles.
 * Elwood O'Neil will call Trevor after this mission threatening his life for killing his brothers, Trevor will just say that Elwood can find him in Vespucci Beach.
 * Franklin will receive an e-mail from Brother Adrian after this mission, asking him to go to their website to join the Children Of The Mountain brotherhood.
 * Small scenes from both freight and offshore method of this heist were shown on the Official Trailer of GTA V.
 * This is the only heist where you don't get a wanted level, no matter which approach you choose.
 * Michael comments on how conspicuous the army helicopter is, yet nearly all the Cargobobs in the game are painted in Marine livery.
 * Although listed as the second heist, it's possible to engage in the third heist, "Blitz Play" first, making this the third heist.
 * The ship phase is similar to the one in Bomb Da Base Act II.

Videos
Der Merryweather-Raubüberfall