USS Quick (DD-490/ DMS-32)

USS Quick (DD-490) was a Gleaves class destroyer that took part in Operation Torch, helped sank U-173, supported the invasion of Sicily and spent almost the rest of the war on escort duty in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, before being converted into a fast minesweeper just too late to fight in the Pacific.

The Quick was named after John Henry Quick, a US Marine who won the Medal of Honor during fighting in Guantanamo Bay during the Spanish-American War and the DSC and Navy Cross during the Belleau Wood campaign of the First World War.

The Quick was laid down by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co of Kearny, N. J. on, 3 November 1941, launched on 3 May 1942 when she was sponsored by Quick’s niece Mrs William T. Roy and commissioned on 3 July 1942.

The Quick was originally classified as a Bristol class ship, which were built with four 5in guns instead of the five installed on the Livermore/ Gleaves class. However after the fifth gun was removed from those ships all of the Bristol class ships joined the Livermore/ Gleaves class.

1942

The Quick’s shakedown cruise took her to New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada.

USS Quick (DMS-32), c.1946

On 12-22 August the Quick escorted the Beatty (DD-640) as she transported Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll, C-in-C of the Atlantic fleet from Boston to Halifax, then to Argentia and finally back to Portland.

On 6 September the Quick left New York heading for the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, where she was used to escort Army transports and merchant ships in the Gulf and the West Indies, areas where the U-boats had just enjoyed their ‘second happy time’.

In October she moved to Norfolk to join TF 34, ready to take part in Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa. On 23 October her task force departed, and just before midnight on 7-8 November she reached Safi, Morocco. During the landings on 8 November she provided fire support then switched to anti-aircraft and anti-submarine patrols.

On 14 November she moved to Casablanca. On 16 November the Woolsey (DD-437), Swanson (DD-443) and Quick sank U-173 off Casablanca with a coordinated depth charge attack after the Woolsey detected her on sonar.

On 17 November she departed for New York, arriving at the end of November.

In December 1943 she began six months of convoy escort duties, working on coastal and trans-atlantic convoys.

1943

This routine was broken in June-July 1943 when she took part in the invasion of Sicily. On 8 June she left the US with TF 65, which reached Mers-el-Kebir on 22 June. She joined TF 85 for the invasion, and sailed with her task force on 5 July. From 10-13 July she cruised off Scoglitti and along the Camerina plain, providing fire support for the US 7th Army.

Once she was no longer needed off Sicily she returned to her convoy escort duties, spending the rest of 1943 operating on trans-Atlantic and Mediterranean convoys.

From 5-14 September 1943 she was part of the escort for convoy TF 67 as it moved from New York to Belfast.

From 21 September-1 October 1943 she was part of the escort for convoy TU-2 as it sailed from Belfast to New York.

From 21-31 October she was part of TF 69 as it escorted a mixed merchant ship and troop convoy UT-4 from New York to Belfast.

From 7-18 November she was part of the screen of convoy TU-4 as it sailed from Belfast to New York.

From 5-14 December she was part of the escort for convoy UT-5 as it sailed from New York to Northern Ireland.

1944

For most of the first half of 1944 she continued to carry out on trans-Atlantic and Mediterranean escort duties.

On 28 January 1944 she escorted the new cruiser Quincy (CA-71) on a brief trip out to sea to correctly align her compasses. From 2-4 February she escorted the Quincy once again, this time to Chesapeake Bay for gunnery training.

She finished with the trans-Atlantic convoys in May 1944 but continued on the Mediterranean convoys until the end of the war in Europe.

1945

After the end of the war in Europe the Quick was chosen to be converted into a fast minesweeper. On 13 June 1945 she entered the Charleston Naval Shipyard to be converted. On 23 June she was redesignated as DMS-32. Work was complete on 2 August and she departed for the west coast, but by the time she reached San Diego the Japanese had surrendered.

Post-War

This didn’t end the need for minesweepers. In late September she departed for Pearl Harbor, and from there to Eniwetok for a brief spell of minesweeping before returning to Hawaii.

On 2 December she departed for Japan, arriving at Saserbo on 16 December. She spent the next nine months operating in Japanese, Chinese and Okinawan waters. She then returned to the US west coast for a month, before working in the Marianas from December 1946-February 1947. After that she moved to Japan, before in April moving to the Trust Territories, the post-war name for the former Japanese possessions in Micronesia. In August she returned to the US west coast.

In the spring of 1948 she returned to the Marianas, working there for three months before returning to San Diego on 4 June.

That was the end of her active career. On 1 March 1949 she reported to the Commander of the Pacific Reserve Fleet and she was decommissioned on 28 May. On 15 July 1955 she was redesignated as DD-490 once again.

The Quick was struck off on 15 January 1972 and sold for scrap on 27 August 1973.

Quick earned four battle stars during World War II, for North Africa, Sicily, Pacific Minesweeping and sinking U-173. Anyone who served on her between 15 December 1945-8 March 1946, 15-19 March 1946 or 15 February-20 April 1947 received the Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia).

U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History, Norman Friedmann . The standard history of the development of American destroyers, from the earliest torpedo boat destroyers to the post-war fleet, and covering the massive classes of destroyers built for both World Wars. Gives the reader a good understanding of the debates that surrounded each class of destroyer and led to their individual features.

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