- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see HMAS Quiberon in game.
Description:
HMAS Quiberon was one of five Q-class Destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy, and one of two of this class operated by the RAN in the Second World War. The rest being acquired post war. She would continue to serve post-war, being converted into a Type 15 ASW frigate.
She would be ordered for use by the Royal Navy, however she would be loaned to the RAN while being built, being purchased by Australia after the war in 1950. As such she would never commission into the RN, only ever being operated by the RAN.
This suggestion is for her fit as she commissioned into the RAN in 1942.
History:
Laid down by J. Samuel White & Co at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, on the 14th of October 1940, she would be transferred to the RAN while still being built. She would launch on the 31st of January 1942, finishing fitting out and commissioning on the 6th of July 1942. Upon commissioning she would move to Scapa Flow for further working up exercises.
From Scapa Flow she would be assigned as a North Atlantic convoy escort, where she would escort convoys leaving Scapa flow. The first of these being bound for Capetown, leaving on the 29th of August 1942, arriving in Freetown on the 27th of September before preceding to Gibraltar and then to the Clyde.
In October she would be apart of the forces off North Africa as part of operation Torch. During her time here she would first enter the Mediterranean and encounter the enemy, experiencing air attacks. Along with HMS Quentin she would destroy the Italian Submarine Dessie on the 28th of November. She would also intercept an Italian convoy with three friendly Cruisers and two other Destroyers, resulting in four merchantmen and an escort being sunk, at the loss of the HMS Quentin via German torpedo bombers.
Quiberon would continue to operate around North Africa as convoy and fleet escort until late January 1943, where she would leave as escort for a convoy bound for Capetown from England. From Capetown she would sail to Durban, then onto Australia, arriving on the 29th of March at Fremantle. She would be in refit at Melbourne, then would return to the Indian Ocean, joining the British Eastern Fleet, spending the rest of 1943 until March 1944 as convoy escort in this area.
She would take part in carrier strikes against Sabang in may before returning to Melbourne for refit. This would finish on the 1st of August, and she would rejoin the Eastern Fleet. She would join bombardments of Japanese positions on the Nicobar Islands, then proceed back to Australia for anti-submarine and escort duty in the Australia Station.
In March 1945 she would now join the British Pacific Fleet from Manus, on the Admiralty Islands. From there preceding to the Fleet operations in the North Pacific. She would be present off Okinawa and for the attacks off the Japanese homeland.
She was then present at the re-occupation of Shanghai, and also served in the Dutch East Indies, retrieving POWs, and carrying troops. This work continued until February 1946, from which she went into refit in Sydney. Then once she finished that, she would be part of the Japan occupation forces for three months. Finally finishing her third service in the SEA area by the 22nd of July 1948.
She was paid off on the 15th of May 1950 in preparation for conversion to Type 15 ASW frigate. This work would be done by the Naval Dockyard at Garden island. This included a total replacement of the machinery, new radars, replacement of the armament with ASW focused equipment, notably replacing her 4x1 4.7" guns for 1x2 4", and all of her AA with a twin 40mm Bofors gun. Two Squid mortars were also fitted. The superstructure was heavily modified and improved with war time experience. They were also Low Profile, as to reduce the effects of a nuclear blast, and also sealed from CBRN. The Torpedoes were removed without replacement.
She would recommission on the 18th of December 1957 so extensive were the works. She would join the 1st Frigate Squadron with further Q-class conversions including HMAS, Quadrant, Queenborough, and Quickmatch. Overall the were a unit within the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve on the Australia Station. Within this unit she would mostly serve around the SEA region.
She would be sent to reserve on the 26th of June 1964 with the commissioning of two River-Class Destroyer Escorts, as the Type 15s were only stop-gaps themselves. She would sold for scrapping on the 15th of February 1972.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMAS Quiberon | |||||
| Country: Australia | |||||
| Type: Destroyer | |||||
| Class name: Q-class | |||||
| Year of commission: 1942 | |||||
| Refit: 1942 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 361 ft 1.5 in (110.071 m) | |||||
| Beam: 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m) | |||||
| Draught: 9.5 ft (2.9 m) | |||||
| Displacement: 2,424t | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: 2x Oil fired boilers, 2x turbines, creating 40,000 shp (30,000 kW) across two shafts | |||||
| Speed: 36kt | |||||
| Endurance: 4,675nmi @ 20kt | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: 176 | |||||
| Primary armament: 4x1 QF 4.7-inch XII on mount CP MkXXII | |||||
| Secondary armament: 1x4 QF-2pdr (pom-pom), 2x2 20mm Oerlikon, 2x1 20mm Oerlikon | |||||
| Tertiary armament: 2x4 21" torpedo tubes, 4 DCT, 45 DC | |||||
| Sensors: Type 290, Type 285 radars |
Sources
A. Raven & J. Roberts. (1976). War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. (pp.3, 17)
Gillett, R. (1983). Australian and New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 (pp.150-151)
M.J. Whitley. (1988) Destroyers of World War Two. (pp.128-129)
HMAS Quiberon - Wikipedia
https://seapower.navy.gov.au/history/units/hmas-quiberon
HMAS Quiberon (G 81) of the Royal Australian Navy - Australian Destroyer of the Q class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net