Q (Quilliam)-Class ordered from JS White, Cowes in
December 1940 with the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.
The ship was laid down on 25th September 1940
and launched on 5th
November 1941 as the first RN ship to bear this
name. She was Lead Ship of this Class and her
build was
completed on 15th April 1942 at a cost of
£436,844 excluding equipment such as
the armament and communications outfits. After a
successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in March 1942 she was
adopted during
build by the civil community of Southwark in
Greater London.
B a t t 1 e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1942 - MEDITERRANEAN
1942 - MALTA
CONVOYS 1942 - NORTH
AFRICA 1942
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field
White, a
Boar's head Black, erased Red.
D e
t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
(for more
ship information,
go
to Naval
History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search)
1 9 4 2
April
Contractors
trials and
commissioned for service.
15th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
May
Passage to Scapa Flow after
completion of First of Class trials and storing.
June
Worked-up
for operational service with
ships of the Home Fleet.
On
completion nominated for Atlantic convoy
defence.
Passage
to Freetown.
19th
Joined military convoy WS19P as
Ocean Escort during passage to Cape Town with HM
Battleships
NELSON, RODNEY, HM
Destroyers DERWENT, PENN, PATHFINDER and
VELOX.
26th
Detached from WS19P with HMS
DERWENT, HMS PENN and HMS PATHFINDER and took
passage to rejoin
Home Fleet as escort for HMS NELSON and HMS
RODNEY.
(Note: HM Cruiser
SHROPSHIRE joined convoy as Ocean Escort before
Home Fleet escorts
detached.)
July
Passage to Scapa Flow.
Nominated
for escort of relief convoy to Malta (Operation
PEDESTAL).
Passage
to join military convoy WS21S in Clyde as part
of screen for
Home Fleet ships escorting
PEDESTAL
convoy.
August
2nd
Deployed with HM Destroyers AMAZON,
ASHANTI, ESKIMO, MALCOLM, PATHFINDER,
PENN,
SOMALI, TARTAR, VENOMOUS, WISHART, WOLVERINE,
BICESTER,
BRAMHAM,
DERWENT, LEDBURY, WILTON and
ZETLAND as screen for HM Battleships
NELSON,
RODNEY, HM Cruisers KENYA, NIGERIA, MANCHESTER,
HM Aircraft
Carrier
FURIOUS
during escort of military
convoy WS21P on passage from Clyde to Gibraltar.
11th
After entry into Mediterranean
deployed for screening of ships of Force Z
providing cover for
passage
of WS21P to the Sicilian Narrows.
Ships of Force
Z included above Home Fleet ships supplemented
by HM Aircraft
Carriers EAGLE,
INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS and HM Cruiser SIRIUS.
Separate
Force (X) was to escort WS21P for passage
through Narrows to Malta
and
comprised
HM Cruisers CAIRO, KENYA, NIGERIA and MANCHESTER
screened by
11
destroyers.
HMS
EAGLE and HMS FURIOUS were carrying aircraft for
delivery to Malta during
passage
in western
Mediterranean.)
Under
attacks by German and Italian Submarines during
which HMS EAGLE
was sunk.
Later,
drove off an attack by Italian Torpedo Boat
BRIN.
12th
Under air and submarine attacks.
Remained
with Force Z when WS21P detached with Force
X for passage through Sicilian
Narrows..
(For
details of the transit of the PEDESTAL CONVOY
see THE BATTLE FOR
THE
MEDITERRANEAN
by D MacIntyre, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
C
Barnett,
THE NAVAL WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN by J Greene
and A
Massignani,
OPERATION
PEDESTAL by P
Smith and MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman.).
14th
Took passage to Gibraltar with
ships of Force Z which was met off Bougie
.
15th
Arrived at Gibraltar with screen
for combined Forces X and Z
Nominated
for service in Atlantic and did not rejoin Home
Fleet.
20th
Took passage to Freetown with HM
Destroyer VANSITTART as screen for HM Cruisers
SIRIUS
and
PHOEBE.
24th
Sailed with HM Destroyer VIMY from
Freetown after refuelling to meet HM
Battleship
QUEEN
ELIZABETH on passage in Atlantic to USA for
repair.
27th
Deployed as escort for HMS QUEEN
ELIZABETH with HM Destroyer PATHFINDER.
September
Detached from HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and deployed
for anti-submarine search
in Caribbean.
3rd
Took part in sinking of U162 with
HMS PATHFINDER and HMS VIMY in position 12.12N
59.29W off
Trinidad. 49 survivors were rescued
(See U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P Kemp and HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR by C Blair,)
4th
Refuelled at Port of Spain and
deployed for convoy defence and patrol in West
Indies.
12th
Deployed with HMS PATHFINDER and
HM Corvette SNOWDROP as escort for seven oil
tankers during
passage from West Indies to Freetown.
26th
Detached from convoy on arrival
at Freetown.
October
Passage to Clyde with call at
Gibraltar to resume duties in Western
Approaches.
Nominated for
support landings in North Africa
(Operation TORCH).
Passage
to Gibraltar as part of
screen for Home Fleet ships detached for
deployment with
Force
H.
November
6th
Deployed at Gibraltar. Prepared
for support duties during landings with Central
Task Force.
8th
Part of screen for HM Cruisers
ARGONAUT, AURORA, CHARYBDIS and SCYLLA during
landings at Oran.
9th
Carried out anti-submarine
patrols to prevent attacks on invasion traffic.
18th
Joined Force Q for
interception patrols and convoy defence off
North African coast and
deployed with
HMS QUIBERON as screen for HM Cruisers AURORA,
ARGONAUT and
SIRIUS.
28th
Took part in sinking of Italian
submarine DESSIE with HMS QUIBERON in position
north of
Bone.
On
return to harbour
assisted in rescue operations following heavy
air attacks at Bone during
which HM Destroyer
ITHURIEL was seriously damaged.
Towed HMS ITHURIEL
to be beached clear of harbour.
(Note: This
destroyer was later towed to Algiers but found
to be beyond economic repair.)
December
1st
Deployed with HMS QUIBERON as
screen for HM Cruisers AURORA, ARGONAUT and
SIRIUS
as Force
Q for interception of Italian convoy.
2nd
In action with ships of Force Q against
convoy of four ships north of
Cape Bon during which
Italian destroyer
FOLGORE and all four mercantiles were sunk with
three other escorts damaged.
Under air attacks
during return passage and hit by torpedo off
Galita Island.
Sank in position
37.40N 08.55E. Survivors were rescued by HMS
QUIBERON.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
QUENTIN
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked with
the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
01/07/42
|
15/07/42
|
OS
033
|
20/07/42
|
20/07/42
|
23/09/42
|
25/09/42
|
SL
123
|
27/09/42
|
14/10/42
|
14/11/42
|
20/11/42
|
KMF
003
|
21/11/42
|
23/11/42
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|