HMS Quorn (L66)

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

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, which was originally based in Quorn Leicestershire.^[1]

HMS Quorn underway in 1940 (IWM)
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Quorn
Builder	J. Samuel White and Co. at Cowes, Isle of Wight
Laid down	22 August 1939
Launched	27 March 1940
Commissioned	21 September 1940
Identification	Pennant number: L66
Honours & awards	North Sea 1941–1945 English Channel 1942–1944 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 & type	Hunt-class destroyer
Displacement	1,000 long tons (1,016 t) standard 1,340 long tons (1,362 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	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines, 19,000 shp
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	4 × QF 4 in Mark XVI guns on twin mounts Mk. XIX 4 × QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII on quad mount MK.VII 2 × 20 mm Oerlikons on single mounts P Mk. III 40 depth charges, 2 throwers, 1 rack

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 undertook convoy protection, anti-shipping and patrol duties. Quorn stayed 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, that was completed in September.^[3]

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 part 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 an attack on the British assault area by a force of E-boats, Linse explosive motorboats, human torpedoes and low flying aircraft.^[4] 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.^[5]