HMS Quorn (L66)

HMS Quorn was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, built in 1940 and sunk off the Normandy coast on 3 August 1944. The class were named after British fox and stag hunts, in this case, the Quorn Hunt, predominately based in Leicestershire.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Quorn.

HMS Quorn underway in 1940 (IWM)
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Quorn
Builder: J. Samuel White and Co. at Cowes, Isle of Wight
Launched: 27 March 1940
Commissioned: 21 September 1940
Identification: pennant number: L66
Honours and
awards:
  • North Sea 1941-45
  • English Channel 1942-44
  • Adriatic 1944
Fate: Sunk 3 August 1944 off the Normandy coast
Badge: On a Field Red,a lion's gamb erased holding a hunting horn Gold.
General characteristics
Class and type: Hunt-class destroyer
Displacement:
  • 1,000 long tons (1,000 t) standard
  • 1,340 long tons (1,360 t) full load
Length: 85 m (278 ft 10 in) o/a
Beam: 8.8 m (28 ft 10 in)
Draught: 3.27 m (10 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 27.5 knots (31.6 mph; 50.9 km/h)
  • 26 kn (30 mph; 48 km/h) full
Range:
  • 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
  • 1,000 nmi (1,900 km) at 26 kn (48 km/h)
Complement: 146
Armament:

Quorn was built by J. Samuel White and Co. at Cowes, Isle of Wight. A Type 1 Hunt-class destroyer, she was launched on 27 March 1940 and completed on 21 September 1940 with the pennant number L66.[2] She was adopted by the civil community of Rushden, Northamptonshire, as part of Warship Week in 1942.

Service history

1941

Quorn joined the 21st Destroyer Flotilla at Harwich. The flotilla was tasked with convoy protection, anti-shipping and patrol duties. Quorn would stay with the flotilla for the whole of her commission. In April Quorn was superficially damaged by two delay-action bombs, that exploded 20 metres (66 ft) from her port quarter.[3]

In August whilst on passage from Harwich to Chatham, Quorn set off a mine 40 metres (130 ft) off her port bow. She was repaired at Chatham Dockyard. This took until September to complete. [4]

1942

In April Quorn hit another mine that blew a 9 by 15 feet (2.7 m × 4.6 m) hole in the port side of the ship. Two of ship’s company were killed and one injured. Her No 1 Boiler Room was flooded and major structural damage sustained. She was towed to Harwich and then to Sheerness where repairs took 4 months to complete.

On 13 October Quorn was one of the five destroyers that intercepted the German auxiliary cruiser Komet in the English Channel. Komet was sunk and two M-class minesweepers were heavily damaged and set on fire. An hour later a second patrolling force of the same operation engaged a group of escort vessels, sinking an R boat, (minesweeper) and damaging a torpedo boat.

1943

North Sea convoy protection duties with the 21st Destroyer Flotilla

1944

In June Quorn was an escort for convoys of personnel during Operation Neptune, the naval support of Operation Overlord, the Normandy Landings. On 3 August, she was hit and sunk by a human torpedo piloted by Oberfernschreibmeister Herbert Berrer of the Kriegsmarine during a heavy attack on the British assault area by a force of E-boats, Linse explosive motorboats, human torpedoes and low flying aircraft.[5] Those that survived the initial attack spent up to eight hours in the water before being rescued, and many of these died. One hundred and thirty of her crew were lost. [6]

References
  1. The 'Hunt' class destroyer at WW2Today.com
  2. Mason, Geoffrey B. (2004). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Quorn (L 66) - Type I, Hunt-class Escort Destroyer". naval-history.net. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  3. HMS Quorn, Type II, Hunt-class Escort Destroyer at naval-history.net
  4. HMS Quorn Hunt class Escort Destroyer at naval history.net
  5. Brown, p. 116
  6. Causality list of those killed aboard HMS Quorn

Publications
  • Colledge, J. J. & Warlow, Ben: Ships of the Royal Navy - The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present. Newbury, UK: Casemate, 2010. ISBN 978-1-935149-07-1
  • English, John: The Hunts - A history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. Cumbria: World Ship Society, 1987. ISBN 0-905617-44-4
  • Whitley, M. J.: Destroyers of World War Two – an international encyclopedia: Arms and Armour, 1988. ISBN 0-85368-910-5
  • Gardiner, Robert: Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946: Conway Maritime Press, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-146-7


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