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HMS Quail (G45)
Encyclopedia
HMS Quail was a Q class
destroyer
of the Royal Navy
. She served during the Second World War but her career lasted less than a year before she was damaged by a mine and withdrawn from active service.
and launched on 1 June 1942. She was commissioned on 7 January 1943 having cost a total of £436,576, excluding equipment supplied by the Admiralty
such as armaments, wireless and radar equipment. She was adopted by the civil community of Islington
. Greater London
in March 1942 following a successful Warship Week
for National Savings
.
, where she carried out working up exercises. In February she was nominated to escort the joint military convoys WS27 and KMF10A during their passage from the Clyde
. WS27 was bound for the Middle East
via the Cape of Good Hope
, whilst KMF10A was headed for the Mediterranean via Gibraltar
. Having completed the escort duties, the naval command intended that Quail would join the 3rd Flotilla in the Indian Ocean
. She joined Convoy WS27 in the Clyde on 27 February, along with the battleship
HMS Malaya
and the destroyers HMS Raider
, Quadrant
, Queenborough and Wolverine
as the ocean escort for the convoy's passage through the Atlantic
. Quail remained with Convoy WS27 when the ships of KMF10A were detached on 2 March to sail to Gibraltar. On 5 March HMS Quadrant was detached and on 8 March Quail, Queenborough and Raider were detached from the convoy on its arrival at Freetown
, Sierra Leone. They were then retained at Freetown for convoy defence, whilst the planned transfer to the Indian Ocean was cancelled to due to future requirements in support of the planned allied landings in Mediterranean.
. They escorted it to Durban, arriving on 24 March when they were detached. They returned to Freetown in April, where Quail was nominated to return to the UK. She took passage from Freetown on 29 April in company with HMS Quality
. They arrived in the UK, and rejoined the flotilla at Scapa Flow in May. In June Quail was nominated to support the allied landings in Sicily
(Operation Husky). She sailed for Gibraltar as part of an escort for capital ships of the Home Fleet that were also assigned to cover the landings. She deployed out of Malta
and on 8 July sailed as part of a screen for the battleships HMS Nelson, Rodney, Warspite and Valiant
, the aircraft carrier
s HMS Indomitable and Formidable and the cruiser
s HMS Aurora
, Penelope
, Cleopatra
and Euryalus
, with the destroyers HMS Quilliam
, Queenborough, Isis
, Faulknor
, Echo
, Intrepid
, Raider, Eclipse
, Fury
, Inglefield
, Ilex
, Troubridge
, Tyrian
, Tumult
, Offa
, the Greek Vasilissa Olga
and the Polish ORP Piorun
in the Western Mediterranean. They provided cover against Italian interference in the allied landings, and by 12 July the escorting destroyers were deployed on interception patrols. On 14 July Quail and Quilliam deployed with the cruisers Cleopatra and Euryalus off the east coast of Sicily
.
during the preliminary bombardment of the Italian coast between Reggio Calabria
and Pessaro before the allied landings in Italy
. Quail carried out bombardments and screening duties with the destroyers HMS Offa, Petard
, Queenborough, Quilliam, Tartar
, Troubridge, Tyrian and ORP Piorun in early September. On 2 September Quail bombarded the area south of Reggio and from 9 September to 16 September she joined other destroyers in screening the battleships Nelson, Rodney, Warspite and Valiant, and the aircraft carriers Illustrious and Formidable. They provided gunfire support off the beach head and carried out anti submarine and E-boat
patrols. In October Quail was transferred to the Adriatic
and based at Bari
to support military operations and escort convoys. On 22 October she intercepted and captured an enemy merchant ship during a patrol.
for permanent repairs. She was towed to Taranto but whilst there it was arranged that she would be repaired at Malta. After further preparations, she departed under tow for Malta in May, but capsized and sank en route in the Gulf of Taranto
on 18 May.
On 5 June 2002 an Italian diver team led by Claudia Serpieri
discovered the wreck of HMS Quail and filmed it. She currently lies at a depth of 90 metres.
Q and R class destroyer
The Q and R class was a class of sixteen War Emergency Programme destroyers ordered for the British Royal Navy in 1940 as the 3rd and 4th Emergency Flotilla. They served as convoy escorts during World War II. Three Q class ships were transferred to the Royal Australian Navy upon completion, with...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She served during the Second World War but her career lasted less than a year before she was damaged by a mine and withdrawn from active service.
Construction and commissioning
Quail was ordered on 2 April 1940 to serve with the 3rd Emergency Flotilla. She was laid down on 30 September 1940 from the yards of Hawthorn Leslie & Company, HebburnHebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
and launched on 1 June 1942. She was commissioned on 7 January 1943 having cost a total of £436,576, excluding equipment supplied by the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
such as armaments, wireless and radar equipment. She was adopted by the civil community of Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
. Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in March 1942 following a successful Warship Week
Warship Week
Warship Weeks were British National savings campaigns during the Second World War, with the adoption of a Royal Navy warship by a civil community. A level of savings would be set to raise enough money to provide the cost of building a particular naval ship...
for National Savings
National savings
In economics, a country's national savings is the sum of private and public savings. It is generally equal to a nation's income minus consumption and government purchases.- Economic model of national savings :...
.
Convoy escort
After spending December 1942 undergoing contractors' trials, Quail was commissioned on 7 January 1943. She then took passage to join the Home Fleet at Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, where she carried out working up exercises. In February she was nominated to escort the joint military convoys WS27 and KMF10A during their passage from the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. WS27 was bound for the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
via the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, whilst KMF10A was headed for the Mediterranean via Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. Having completed the escort duties, the naval command intended that Quail would join the 3rd Flotilla in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. She joined Convoy WS27 in the Clyde on 27 February, along with the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Malaya
HMS Malaya (1915)
HMS Malaya was a Queen Elizabeth class battleship of the British Royal Navy, built by Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company at High Walker and launched in March 1915...
and the destroyers HMS Raider
HMS Raider (H15)
HMS Raider was an R or Rotherham class destroyer adopted by Romford during World War II. The town council still has all of the relevant documents regarding the adoption. The local Sea Cadet Unit was renamed T S Raider....
, Quadrant
HMAS Quadrant (G11)
HMAS Quadrant , named for the navigational instrument, was a Q class destroyer operated by the Royal Navy as HMS Quadrant during World War II, and the Royal Australian Navy from 1945 to 1957...
, Queenborough and Wolverine
HMS Wolverine (D78)
HMS Wolverine was a Royal Navy destroyer, which saw service during the Second World War. She was the seventh ship to bear that name.-Construction:...
as the ocean escort for the convoy's passage through the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Quail remained with Convoy WS27 when the ships of KMF10A were detached on 2 March to sail to Gibraltar. On 5 March HMS Quadrant was detached and on 8 March Quail, Queenborough and Raider were detached from the convoy on its arrival at Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone. They were then retained at Freetown for convoy defence, whilst the planned transfer to the Indian Ocean was cancelled to due to future requirements in support of the planned allied landings in Mediterranean.
Fleet screening
On 11 March Quail was deployed with Queenborough and Raider to cover the passage of convoy WS27, bound for DurbanDurban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. They escorted it to Durban, arriving on 24 March when they were detached. They returned to Freetown in April, where Quail was nominated to return to the UK. She took passage from Freetown on 29 April in company with HMS Quality
HMS Quality (G62)
HMS Quality was a Q class destroyer built for the Royal Navy. Entering service in 1942, the destroyer served in several theatres of World War II. Following the war's conclusion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy , commissioning as HMAS Quality in late 1945...
. They arrived in the UK, and rejoined the flotilla at Scapa Flow in May. In June Quail was nominated to support the allied landings in Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
(Operation Husky). She sailed for Gibraltar as part of an escort for capital ships of the Home Fleet that were also assigned to cover the landings. She deployed out of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and on 8 July sailed as part of a screen for the battleships HMS Nelson, Rodney, Warspite and Valiant
HMS Valiant (1914)
HMS Valiant was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was laid down at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan on 31 January 1913 and launched on 4 November 1914...
, the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s HMS Indomitable and Formidable and the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s HMS Aurora
HMS Aurora (12)
HMS Aurora was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard , with the keel being laid down on the 27 July 1935. She was launched on the 20 August 1936, and commissioned 12 November 1937....
, Penelope
HMS Penelope (97)
HMS Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Harland & Wolff , with the keel being laid down on 30 May 1934...
, Cleopatra
HMS Cleopatra (33)
HMS Cleopatra was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited , with the keel being laid down on 5 January 1939...
and Euryalus
HMS Euryalus (42)
HMS Euryalus was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built at Chatham Dockyard UK), with the keel being laid down on 21 October 1937. She was launched on 6 June 1939, and commissioned 30 June 1941. Euryalus was the last cruiser that Chatham Dockyard built.-Mediterranean Service:-Second...
, with the destroyers HMS Quilliam
HMS Quilliam (G09)
HMS Quilliam was a Q class destroyer serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, and the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1946 to 1957.-Construction:The ship was laid down by R. and W...
, Queenborough, Isis
HMS Isis (D87)
HMS Isis was an I-class destroyer laid down by the Yarrow and Company, at Scotstoun in Glasgow on 6 February 1936, launched on 12 November 1936 and commissioned on 2 June 1937.-World War II:...
, Faulknor
HMS Faulknor (H62)
HMS Faulknor was a F class destroyer flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy in commission from 1934. The ship had a particularly active operational role during World War II, being awarded 11 battle honours, and was known as "The hardest worked destroyer in the Fleet"...
, Echo
HMS Echo (H23)
HMS Echo was an E class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in the Atlantic, Arctic and Mediterranean theatres during World War II, before being transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1944, and renamed Navarinon, until scrapped in 1956.-Service history:Echo had a small role in...
, Intrepid
HMS Intrepid (D10)
HMS Intrepid was an I-class destroyer that served with Royal Navy during World War II.In World War II, Intrepid attacked and sank the German submarine U-45 south-west of Ireland on 14 October 1939 in company with the destroyers and...
, Raider, Eclipse
HMS Eclipse (H08)
HMS Eclipse was an E class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Mediterranean theatres during World War II, until sunk by a mine in the Aegean Sea on 24 October 1943.-Service history:...
, Fury
HMS Fury (H76)
HMS Fury was an F class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was ordered from the yards of J. Samuel White, of Cowes, Isle of Wight on 17 March 1933 and was laid down on the 19 May of that year. She was launched on 10 September 1934 and commissioned on 18 May 1935...
, Inglefield
HMS Inglefield (D02)
HMS Inglefield was an I-class destroyer leader built for the Royal Navy that served during World War II. She was the navy's last purpose-built flotilla leader. She was named after the 19th century Admiral Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield , and is so far the only warship to carry the name of that...
, Ilex
HMS Ilex (D61)
HMS Ilex was an I-class destroyer that served during World War II. She is the only ship of the Royal Navy ever to have been named after Ilex, the genus of flowering plants commonly known as holly.-1939:...
, Troubridge
HMS Troubridge (R00)
HMS Troubridge was an T-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War.In 1943, she was sent to the Mediterranean, where she performed screening duties for major naval units...
, Tyrian
HMS Tyrian (R67)
HMS Tyrian was a T-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was later converted to a Type 16 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F67....
, Tumult
HMS Tumult (R11)
HMS Tumult was a T-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was later converted to a Type 16 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F121.-External links:...
, Offa
HMS Offa (G29)
HMS Offa was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which entered service in 1941.During November 1941 HMS Offa was part of Convoy PQ-4, the fifth of the Arctic Convoys of World War II. The convoy sailed from Hvalfjord, Iceland on 17 November 1941 and arrived at Arkhangelsk on 28 November 1941.On...
, the Greek Vasilissa Olga
Greek destroyer Vasilissa Olga (D 15)
Vasilissa Olga was a Greek destroyer of the Vasilefs Georgios class, which served with the Royal Hellenic Navy during the Second World War, becoming its most distinguished and successful ship until her loss in 1943...
and the Polish ORP Piorun
ORP Piorun (G65)
ORP Piorun was an used by the Polish Navy during the Second World War. The name is Polish for "Thunderbolt".-History:The ship was built by John Brown & Company of Clydebank, Glasgow. She was laid down in July 1939, launched on 7 May 1940 and completed on 4 November 1940...
in the Western Mediterranean. They provided cover against Italian interference in the allied landings, and by 12 July the escorting destroyers were deployed on interception patrols. On 14 July Quail and Quilliam deployed with the cruisers Cleopatra and Euryalus off the east coast of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
Bombardments
Quail continued on these duties throughout August and on 21 August she carried out a bombardment of the Italian mainland from the Straits of Messina. Ten days later on 31 August she was part of a screen for the battleships Nelson and Rodney and the cruiser HMS OrionHMS Orion (85)
HMS Orion was a Leander class light cruiser which served with distinction in the Royal Navy during World War II.She received 13 battle honours, a record only exceeded by one other ship, and matched by two others.-History:...
during the preliminary bombardment of the Italian coast between Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
and Pessaro before the allied landings in Italy
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
. Quail carried out bombardments and screening duties with the destroyers HMS Offa, Petard
HMS Petard (G56)
HMS Petard was a "P"-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was one of the three "P" class ships, out of the original eight, to survive the war in a serviceable condition....
, Queenborough, Quilliam, Tartar
HMS Tartar (F43)
HMS Tartar was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service in most of the naval theatres of World War II. She had an eventful career, eventually receiving the nickname 'Lucky Tartar' due to her numerous escapes from dangerous situations...
, Troubridge, Tyrian and ORP Piorun in early September. On 2 September Quail bombarded the area south of Reggio and from 9 September to 16 September she joined other destroyers in screening the battleships Nelson, Rodney, Warspite and Valiant, and the aircraft carriers Illustrious and Formidable. They provided gunfire support off the beach head and carried out anti submarine and E-boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
patrols. In October Quail was transferred to the Adriatic
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
and based at Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
to support military operations and escort convoys. On 22 October she intercepted and captured an enemy merchant ship during a patrol.
Mining and sinking
On 15 November, whilst on patrol in the Adriatic, Quail struck a mine that had been part of a barrage laid by U-453 on 25 October. She was beached the following day to await salvage. In December she was towed to Bari to undergo temporary repairs. She spent the period between January and April 1944 under temporary repair to allow her to make passage to TarantoTaranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
for permanent repairs. She was towed to Taranto but whilst there it was arranged that she would be repaired at Malta. After further preparations, she departed under tow for Malta in May, but capsized and sank en route in the Gulf of Taranto
Gulf of Taranto
The Gulf of Taranto is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in southern Italy.The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, 140 km long and wide, and is delimited by the capes Santa Maria di Leuca and Colonna...
on 18 May.
On 5 June 2002 an Italian diver team led by Claudia Serpieri
Claudia Serpieri
Claudia Serpieri is a world record-holding Italian technical diver & instructor. She is co-director of team BioHazard, which has partnerships with space agencies, hyperbaric researchers, universities and the Navy...
discovered the wreck of HMS Quail and filmed it. She currently lies at a depth of 90 metres.