HMAS Quickmatch (G92)
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HMAS ''Quickmatch'' (G92/D21/D292/F04) was a Q-class destroyer operated by the
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN). Although commissioned into the RAN in 1942, the ship was initially the property of the Royal Navy. ''Quickmatch'' served with both the
British Eastern Fleet The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' was ...
and
British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships o ...
during World War II. In the 1950s, the destroyer was converted into an anti-submarine frigate. In 1957, ''Quickmatch'' operated in support of Malaya during the Malayan Emergency. The ship remained in service until 1963, and after use as an accommodation ship, was sold for scrap in 1972.


Design and construction

''Quickmatch'' was one of eight Q-class destroyers constructed as a flotilla under the War Emergency Programme.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 100 She had a standard displacement of 1,750 tons, and a deep load displacement of 2,420 tons. ''Quickmatch'' was
long overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, an ...
, and long
between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...
, with a beam of . Propulsion was provided by two Admiralty 3-drum boilers connected to Parsons Impulse turbines, which generated for the propeller shafts.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 101 ''Quickmatch'' had a maximum speed of . The ship's company consisted of 220 officers and sailors. The ship's main armament consisted of four QF 4.7 inch Mk IX guns in single turrets.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 87 This was supplemented by a quadruple
2-pounder pom-pom The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder ( QF denoting "quick firing") and universally known as the pom-pom, was a British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy.British military of the period traditionally denoted s ...
, and six
20 mm Oerlikon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...
anti-aircraft guns. Four
depth-charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...
throwers were fitted, with a payload of 70 charges carried, and two quadruple 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tube sets were fitted, although a maximum of eight torpedoes were carried. The ship was laid down by J. Samuel White and Company Limited at their shipyard in Cowes, on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
, on 6 February 1941. She was launched on 11 April 1942 by the wife of the company's deputy chairman. ''Quickmatch'' was commissioned into the RAN on 14 September 1942. Despite being commissioned into the RAN, ''Quickmatch'' remained the property of the British government until the early 1950s, when she was gifted to the RAN. The ship's name came from the
quick match In pyrotechnics, black match is a type of crude fuse, constructed of cotton string fibers intimately coated with a dried black powder slurry. When black match is confined in a paper tube, called quick match or piped match, the flame front prop ...
, a fast burning match used for lighting
cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
.


Operational history


World War II

From October 1942, ''Quickmatch'' operated as a convoy escort vessel; initially in British waters, then in the South Atlantic, then in the Indian Ocean. In July 1943, the ship rescued survivors from , that was sunk by
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
'' U-177''. While in the Indian Ocean, the ship was assigned to a force dedicated to covering convoys between the Gulf of Aden and India. In May 1944, the destroyer joined the
British Eastern Fleet The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' was ...
. Shortly after, the destroyer formed part of the carrier screen during Operation Transom, an air raid on Japanese-held Surabaya. This role was repeated in June during an air attack on the Andaman Islands. In October, ''Quickmatch'' arrived in Australia for a refit. After this, she remained in Australian waters until March 1945, when she was reassigned to the
British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships o ...
. As part of this force, ''Quickmatch'' took part in operations in support of the American seizure of Okinawa and attacks on the Japanese home islands. The ship received six
battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...
s for her wartime service: "English Channel 1942", "Atlantic 1943", "Indian Ocean 1943–44", "Sabang 1944", "Pacific 1944–45", and "Okinawa 1945".


Post-war and frigate conversion

Over the following years, ''Quickmatch'' made several deployments to Japanese and Korean waters, with the rest of her time spent operating around Australia. On 15 May 1950, ''Quickmatch'' paid off for a major refit in which she was converted to an anti-submarine frigate at Williamstown Naval Dockyard in Victoria. She was recommissioned on 23 September 1955. Afterwards, she was deployed to Singapore as part of Australia's contribution to the
Far East Strategic Reserve The British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve (commonly referred to as the ''Far East Strategic Reserve'' or the ''FESR'') was a joint military force of the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces. Created in the 1950s and based in ...
. In 1957, ''Quickmatch'' operated in support of British Commonwealth forces deployed during the Malayan Emergency, for which she was later awarded her seventh battle honour, "Malaya 1957". On 10 November 1960 ''Quickmatch'' rescued the crew of an Indonesian
Proa Proas are various types of multi-hull outrigger sailboats of the Austronesian peoples. The terms were used for native Austronesian ships in European records during the Colonial era indiscriminately, and thus can confusingly refer to the ...
with failed engines near
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
.


Decommissioning and fate

''Quickmatch'' performed routine duties until she paid off to reserve at Williamstown on 26 April 1963. After paying off she served as an accommodation ship until she was sold for scrap to the Fujita Salvage Company Limited of
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
in Japan on 15 February 1972. The ship departed Melbourne for Japan under tow on 6 July 1972.Gillett & Graham, ''Warships of Australia'', pp. 182–183


Notes


References

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Quickmatch (G92) Q-class destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy Type 15 frigates of the Royal Australian Navy Ships built on the Isle of Wight 1942 ships World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom World War II destroyers of Australia