HMAS Quickmatch, (G92 & F04)

Quickmatch was one of eight Q Class destroyers built for the Royal Navy, although she was commissioned in the Royal Australian Navy at Cowes, Isle of Wight, as HMAS Quickmatch (G92) on 14th. September 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Rodney Rhoades DSC RAN. After trials the ship commenced convoy escort duty on 5th. October 1942. In November 1942 she proceeded to the South Atlantic Station for further convoy escort duty. En route on 1st. December she intercepted the Italian blockade runner Cortelazzo. Following four months convoy duty on the South Atlantic Station Quickmatch transferred to the Indian Ocean for similar duty, although she was detached to the South Atlantic Station during June, July and August 1943.

In May 1944 Quickmatch was included in the main force of the British Eastern Fleet, based on Ceylon, which carried out a successful carrier borne air attack on the Japanese base at Sourabaya on 17th. May. This action was followed on 21st. June by a similar assault from the air on Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. During these operations Quickmatch was a unit of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, Eastern Fleet. On 25th. July 1944 Quickmatch as part of an inshore force, entered Sabang Harbour, Sumatra, and carried out a close range bombardment of Japanese installations.
In October 1944 Quickmatch arrived in Australian waters for the first time. After visiting Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides she commenced her annual refit at Sydney (November to December 1944). Following the refit Quickmatch served mainly in Australian waters, with a visit to New Zealand, until March 1945. She then proceeded to the Far East as a unit of the British Pacific Fleet as one of the ships screening the Royal Navy carriers whose task it was to neutralise Japanese air fields in support of the United States invasion in Okinawa (Operation Iceberg). In July, again screening carriers of the British Pacific Fleet, she took part in further assaults on the Japanese home islands. When hostilities ceased on 15 August 1945, Quickmatch was en route to Manus after operating in support of attacks on the main Japanese island of Honshu. She had steamed some 224,000 miles on war service.

In the early post war years Quickmatch remained in seagoing service in Australian waters, interspersed with several tours of duty in Japanese and Korean waters (Hence the name Quickie Maru.). In July 1948 she returned to Sydney following three months as the Australian Squadron representative in Japan and was placed in immobilised commission. She paid off on 15th. May 1950.

On 28th. March 1951 Quickmatch was towed from Sydney by the tug HMAS Reserve to Williamstown Naval Dockyard, Melbourne, where work commenced on her conversion to a modern fast anti-submarine frigate. The conversion was completed in 1955 and she recommissioned on 23rd. September 1955 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Duncan H. Stevens RAN, as a unit of the 1st Frigate Squadron. When completed by the conversion of three sister ships from destroyers to frigates, the Squadron comprised HMA Ships Quadrant(F01), Queenborough(F02), Quiberon(F03) and Quickmatch(F04)

The "Q" class were fitted with modern A/S 170 active and 177 passive sonar, the 170 being linked to two triple barreled anti submarine mortar Mk.10 mountings on the quarter deck( main deck or 1 deck). The Mortar Mk.10 was called an "ahead throwing weapon" however was actually a 360 degree throwing weapon firing an elliptical pattern of 6 projectiles that were set to two different depths thus causing a layering effect round, above and below a submarine. The mountings could be fired as a complete pattern using 6 barrels, as a single mounting using 3 barrels or as a single barrel. Each projectile carried 200lbs. of Minol. Each mounting could be fully reloaded 5 times before all projectiles were exhausted. 

A twin 40/60 bofors mounted fwd. of the bridge on 02 deck and a twin 4inch gun turret was mounted aft on 01 deck below the gun director.

Type 960, 975 and height seeking 277 radars were fitted. Much later Electronic Warfare Counter Measure domes were added to the aft mast.

Working up to full power trials on Port Philip Bay following refit, this photo taken from the director deck shows the twin 4inch guns and the two A/S mortar Mk.10 mountings opposite their magazines. Full power always attracted plenty of goofers as the ship threw up a huge "rooster tail" when doing 35 knots and looked much more imposing from the next deck below, that is the quarterdeck.

Quickmatch completed five tours of duty in Far East waters, totalling almost two years of foreign service, as a unit of the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve( BCFESR later renamed FESR.), including several periods exercising with Commonwealth forces in the Indian Ocean (Joint Exercise Tactical or JET) and with the forces of the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO).

I joined Qmatch on 14th. October 1960 and 4 days later the ship sailed from Sydney for the BCFESR calling at Cairns, Darwin, Singapore, Hong Kong (a month in HK over Christmas), Bangkok (following SEATO exercise), Labuan, Trincomalee (after JET61), Penang, Singapore, Fremantle and Melbourne, arriving there on 10th. April 1961, to go into refit at Williamtown Naval Dockyard.

On the 4th. November 1960, a day out from Singapore in the South China Sea we came upon a disabled motorised junk. The Engineering Officer went over to see if the engine could be fixed only to find the enterprising Indonesians had almost complete stripped it down trying to rectify the problem. The CO decided to tow the junk to Singapore. During the night we encountered storms and the junk sank. There were 46 people on board and all were rescued and locked down in the tiller flat which was a smelly space where spare mooring ropes and fenders were kept. We departed the area which was strewn with the junks cargo of rubber bales.

Easter Thursday, 1961 and Quickmatch was coming to berth at Garden Island when an exercise "Sublost" was signalled to all fleet units. We proceeded round into Ruscutters Bay where a one man recompression chamber was brought out in a work boat and taken on board. The ship set course for the open sea and was soon steaming at 30 knots down Sydney Harbour. The ships wash was to cause yachts and launches to break from their moorings and several to sink!

"Sublost" became exercise "Subsmash" and a helicopter flying the coast from Nowra to Sydney found the RN submarines marker off Maroubra. One of the Darings was above her when we arrived. Two crew did a free assent in escape hoods and they were recovered by boat and brought over to Quickmatch to be placed in the recompression chamber, head to foot. We set off to return to Sydney at full speed and only slowed down when approaching the berth. More yachts were sunk!!

After the ship berthed the two submariners were placed in a Navy ambulance and taken to hospital, where doctors continued the exercise. Leave was granted and I grabbed a cab to the airport, just making my flight to Melbourne for the weekend.

I remained in the ship following refit for exercises in Jervis Bay and a visit to Brisbane and Port Alma, where the ships company was given the keys to Rockhampton during a ceremonial march into the town. I wonder if the Mayor of the town ever made that mistake again! Surely stealing a steam train for a joy ride was only a bit of "high spirits" or was it too much spirits!!

Though the RAN did not officially become operational in Vietnam until 1965, in January1962, the first units of the Royal Australian Navy became involved in the Vietnam conflict. They were the Daring class destroyer, HMAS Vampire and HMAS Quickmatch, the two ships visiting Saigon from 25th. January to 29th. January 1962, to mark Australia Day. The subsidiary task of the ships was to report on the feasibility of HMAS Sydney making safe passage up the river to the port for Saigon.

The remainder of her commission was spent on the Australia Station, and in the South West Pacific and New Zealand waters.
When Quickmatch paid off to Reserve at Williamstown on 26th. April 1963, she had steamed 246,822 miles. After paying off she served as an accommodation ship at Williamstown Naval Dockyard.

On 15th. February 1972 Quickmatch was sold for scrap to Fujita Salvage Company Limited of Osaka, Japan. On 6th. July 1972 the Japanese tug Sumi Maru left Melbourne for Japan with HMAS Quickmatch and another former RAN River class frigate, HMAS Gascoyne, in tow.

Ships Company photo in Hong Kong, Christmas 1960 ( Including "Jennys side party")