HMAS Queenborough (G70)

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HMAS Queenborough in 1954 after conversion to an anti-submarine frigate
Career (Royal Navy)
Name:	HMS Queenborough
Namesake:	Town of Queenborough
Builder:	Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend-on-Tyne, England
Laid down:	6 November 1940
Launched:	16 January 1942
Christened:	10 December 1942
Commissioned:	15 September 1942
Out of service:	Late 1945
Honours and awards:	Battle honours earned: Arctic 1942-43 Sicily 1943 Salerno 1943 Mediterranean 1943 Okinawa 1945[1]
Fate:	Transferred to Royal Australian Navy
Career (Royal Australian Navy)
Acquired:	Late 1945
Commissioned:	29 October 1945
Decommissioned:	20 May 1946
Recommissioned:	7 December 1954
Decommissioned:	10 July 1963
Recommissioned:	28 July 1966
Decommissioned:	7 April 1972
Reclassified:	Anti-submarine frigate (1954) Frigate - training ship (1966) Destroyer escort - training ship (1969)
Motto:	"Seek And Slay"
Nickname:	Queenbee Fighting 57[2] Halley's Comet[3]
Fate:	Sold for scrap
General characteristics (as destroyer)
Class and type:	Q class destroyer
Displacement:	1,750 tons (standard)
Propulsion:	2 x Admiralty three drum boilers supplying 2 x Parsons steam turbines producing 40,000 SHP, driving two counter-rotating shafts.
Speed:	31 knots (57 km/h)
Range:	4,680 nautical miles (8,670 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
Sensors and processing systems:	Type 128CV asdic
Armament:	4 x single 4.7 inch QF Mark IX guns 1 x quadruple QF 2-pounder Mark VIII pom-pom 4 x Oerlikon 20 mm cannons 2 x 4 Mark VIII torpedo tubes firing 21 inch Mark IX torpedoes
Notes:	Taken from [4]
General characteristics (post conversion)
Type:	Modified Type 15 frigate conversion
Displacement:	2,020 tons
Length:	358 feet 9 inches
Beam:	35 feet 9 inches
Draught:	9 feet 6 inches
Speed:	31 knots (57 km/h)
Range:	4,040 nautical miles (7,480 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Sensors and processing systems:	Radar: Type 277Q height finding Type 293Q tactical search Type 974 navigation (upgraded to 978 in 1966) 262R gunnery (removed in 1966) Asdic: Type 170 attack Type 162 bottom profiling
Armament:	1 x dual 4 inch HA/LA gun (removed in 1966) 1 x dual 40 mm Bofors 2 x Limbo anti-submarine mortars
Notes:	Taken from [5][6][7]

HMAS Queenborough (G70/D270/F02/57) (originally HMS Queenborough (G70/D19)) was a Q class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Constructed during World War II as part of the War Emergency Programme, Queenborough was launched in 1942 and served in the Arctic, Mediterranean, and Pacific theatres. After the war ended, the ship was transferred on loan to the RAN, then given to Australia as a gift in 1950.

Queenborough was converted to an ant-submarine frigate, and served with the RAN until 1966, when she was placed in reserve. In 1969, she was recommissioned as a training ship, and served for another three years until a series of mechanical and structural faults required that she be retired from service.

Contents 1 Construction 2 Design 3 RN service 3.1 1943 3.2 1944 3.3 1945 4 Transfer 5 Frigate conversion 6 Post-conversion career 6.1 1955-1957 6.2 1958-1960 6.3 1961-1963 7 Training ship 7.1 1966-1969 7.2 1970-1972 8 Decommissioning and fate 9 Citations 10 Reference list

[edit] Construction

Queenborough was laid down by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson at Wallsend-on-Tyne on 6 November 1940.^[5] She was launched on 16 January 1942, commissioned into the RN on 15 September 1942, and completed on 10 December 1942.^[5][1] The ship was named after the town of Queenborough in Kent, England.^[8] She was the sixth British ship to use the name.^[9]

[edit] Design

Main article: Q and R class destroyer

Queenborough was one of eight Q class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during World War II, as part of the War Emergency Programme.^[10] All War Emergency Programme destroyers were based on the pre-war J class destroyers, with minor variations in dimensions and improvements in design and technology.^[10]

Q class ships were designed as all-round utility destroyers; capable of operating in surface combat, anti-aircraft, and anti-submarine roles while maintaining good seaworthiness, speed, and range.^[10] The main armament for Queenborough consisted of four single 4.7 inch QF Mark IX guns, two before and two aft of the main superstructure.^[10] Secondary weapons included: a quadruple-mounting QF 2-pounder Mark VIII pom-pom located just aft of the funnel, and four single Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (two on the searchlight platform, one each side of the signal deck) provided anti-air capability, while eight Mark VIII torpedo tubes (4 forward, 4 aft) firing 21 inch Mark IX torpedoes for anti-ship engagements.^[10] Anti-submarine warfare involved the use of a Type 128CV ASDIC to detect enemy submarines.^[10]

A square stern provided increased fuel economy at high speed over previous classes.^[10] Reorganisation of space allowed for an increased fuel load, which in turn increased the destroyer's range from 3,850 to 4,680 nautical miles at 20 knots.^[11]

[edit] RN service

HMS Queenborough served in the Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean during World War II.^[1]

[edit] 1943

On 10 July, Queenborough participated in the Allied invasion of Sicily.^[12]

On 9 September, the destroyer assisted in the Allied invasion of Italy, supporting the main landing force at Salerno.^[13]

[edit] 1944

Queenborough sailed from Madras on 1 March 1944, as part of the escort screen for depot ship HMS Maidstone and merchant ship SS Elizabeth Bakke.^[14] The ships arrived in Trincomalee on 1 March.^[15]

In March , she sailed with escort carrier HMS Shah from Cochin to Colombo.^[15] Near the end of March, Queenborough commenced involvement in Operation Diplomat.^[16] Queenborough and two other Q class destroyers were part of battleship HMS Valiant’s escort screen.^[17] Leaving Trincomalee, on 21 March, the 18-ship fleet practiced refuelling 800 miles south of Ceylon.^[16] On 27 March, the fleet met American reinforcements for the British Pacific Fleet—USS Saratoga and three escorts—with the combined force arriving back in Trincomalee on 31 March.^[16] On 19 April, Queenborough was involved in Operation Cockpit, as one of the ships escorting aircraft carriers HMS Illustrious and USS Saratoga.^[18] On May 4, Queenborough escorted battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth on the first night of the latter ship's voyage from Trincomalee to Colombo.^[19]

Queenborough and sister ship HMAS Quiberon were involved in a deep-ocean rendezvous on 17 August with USS General Butler, escorting her until her arrival in Bombay on 26 August.^[20] The two Commonwealth destroyers were also responsible for escorting General Butler to another mid-ocean rendezvous point on 1 September.^[21] They two destroyers refuelled at Addu Atol on 1 September, and arrived in Trincomalee three days later.^[21] On 25 September, Queenborough departed Trincomalee for Bombay, again a part of HMS Valiant’s escort.^[22] On the completion of the voyage, Queenborough returned to Trincomalee, and spent the first part of October assisting with post-refit trials for sister ship HMS Quiberon.^[22] Queenborough departed Trincomalee on 15 October as part of Task Group 63, a British Eastern Fleet operation to focus Japanese attention on the west coast of Malaya as a diversion for American amphibious landings in the Philippines.^[23] The diversionary attacks, known as Operation Millet, included a series of bombardments and air raids against Japanese installations and ships in Malacca and Car Nicobar, and were intended to appear as if the Allies were preparing an invasion of Malaya.^[24] Queenborough was attached to Group 1, consisting of Task Group Flagship HMS Renown and her escorts, and bombarded Car Nicobar on 17 and 18 October.^[23][24] Despite heavy damage to the target areas, Operation Millet failed to attract a significant reaction from Japanese forces.^[23][24]

[edit] 1945

At the end of 1944, the heavily-reinforced British Eastern Fleet was split into two forces, The smaller East Indies Fleet remained in the Indian Ocean, while the larger British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was redeployed to the Pacific Ocean, to increase the British and Commonwealth presence in the war against Japan.^{[citation needed]} Queenborough and five other Q class destroyers were assigned to the 4th Destroyer Flotilla of the British Pacific Fleet.^[25] As part of this deployment, ship numbers and designations were changed from the British pennant system to the American hull number system to facilitate ease of operation with the United States Navy; Queenborough's pennant was changed from G70 to D19.^[8]

On the afternoon of 27 February 1945, Queenborough and three other Q class destroyers joined the escort screen of the carriers HMS Indomitable, HMS Victorious, and HMS Indefatigable as they performed flying exercises outside of Sydney.^[26] The ships refuelled in Sydney the next day, then sailed to join the main BPF force near the Admiralty Islands.^[26] From there, the force sailed to Manus Island, and arrived on 7 March.^[26] Queenborough spent the next 11 days either anchored inside or exercising outside Seeadler Harbour.^[26] The BPF sailed from Manus Island on 18 March, to participate in Operation Iceberg, a joint operation with the United States Navy (USN) to destroy Japanese airfields prior to the US invasion of Okinawa.^[27]

Queenborough temporarily left the BPF on May 10, sailing to dock in Leyte.^[28]

[edit] Transfer

Following the conclusion of World War II, Queenborough was one of three RN Q class destroyers transferred to the RAN on loan.^[29] This arrangement allowed the four N class destroyers loaned to the RAN during the war to be returned.^[30] Queenborough was the last ship to commission into the RAN, on 29 October 1945, in trade for HMAS Norman.^[29] Ownership of the ship remained with the British government.^[30]

Queenborough spent October and November on the east coast of Australia, visited Wewak in December, and on her return to Sydney in January 1946 was prepared for paying off.^[31] She was decommissioned into reserve on 20 May 1946.^[31] After decommissioning, Queenborough and sister ship HMAS Quadrant became the first RAN ships to be drydocked at Garden Island Dockyard, during which she underwent the largest boiler repair to be completed by the dockyard at that time.^[32][33] The ship also spent time alongside at training base HMAS Watson as a floating classroom.^[31]

[edit] Frigate conversion

In early 1950, the decision was made to convert all five Q class destroyers in RAN service to anti-submarine warfare frigates, similar to the Type 15 frigate conversions performed on War Emergency Programme destroyers of the RN.^[34] A proposal was made by the Australian government to pay for the upgrade to the five on-loan vessels, at the predicted cost of A₤400,000 each.^[34] Instead, the British Admiralty presented the ships to the RAN as gifts.^[34] The conversions were part of an overall plan to improve the anti-submarine warfare capability of the RAN, although Queenborough and the other ships were only a 'stopgap' measure: to be used until purpose-built ASW frigates could be constructed.^[35] Queenborough was the second ship to be converted, and was rebuilt as a frigate at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney.^[36] The modernisation began in May 1950, and despite predictions that work would finish within 18 months, Queenborough was not recommissioned until 7 December 1954.^[36][35]

The conversion started with the removal of the ship's entire armament.^[37] The entire superstructure was cut off, and replaced with a larger, aluminium construction.^[37][34] An enclosed bridge structure was also installed; this was larger and higher up on the superstructure than on British Type 15 conversions, and had a rounded front as opposed to faceted.^[7] Queenborough and her sister ships became the smallest RAN ships to have a fully-enclosed brigde.^[7] Officers accommodation was moved forward, correcting an arrangement which proved flawed during the war.^[7] The quality of all other accommodation was improved.^[37] Fuel stowage was reduced, in turn cutting the ship's range from 4,680 nautical miles (8,670 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h) to 4,040 nautical miles (7,480 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h).^[37] A dedicated operations room was installed.^[34]

Queenborough was fitted with new guns: a twin 4 inch high angle/low angle gun aft of the superstructure, and a twin 40 mm Bofors gun forward of the bridge.^[37] She was fitted with a Type 170 asdic unit and Limbo anti-submarine mortars, becoming the first RAN ship to use either.^[36] The sensor suite was expanded to include a Type 162 bottom profiling asdic, a Type 277Q height finding radar, a Type 293Q surface search radar, a Type 974 navigation radar, and a Type 262 gunnery radar for the 4 inch gun.^[7] Although underarmed by the standards of gun destroyers, the Limbo mortars made Queenborough a potent anti-submarine vessel.^[7]

[edit] Post-conversion career

[edit] 1955-1957

Immediately following commissioning, Queenborough was sent to England to participate in anti-submarine warfare training with the Royal Navy.^[38] The journey was by way of Darwin, Singapore, Colombo, Aden, the Suez Canal, and Gibraltar.^[38] While en route to Darwin, the ship was caught in a tropical thunderstorm, during which several lighting and power circuits were damaged by water, a transformer for the navigational radar burned out, and large sections of paint were stripped from the hull.^[36] Queenborough was forced to remain in Darwin for two days, while repairs were made and replacement radar components were flown in.^[36] Trouble struck again 500 miles from Aden, when one of the crew developed acute appendicitis.^[39] A mercy dash to Aden at 29 knots saved the crewman's life, but almost completely exhausted the ship's fuel supply: dieseline had to be mixed with the furnace fuel oil to ensure the ship's arrival.^[39] While sailing to Suez, Queenborough encountered a group of Soviet freighters, and was forced to lower her Hull Outfit 7 to foil photographic and electronic information collection.^[39] After the incident, the Hull Outfit could not be raised until repairs were made in England, and caused problems while transiting the Suez Canal.^[39] After repairs, Queenborough joined the RN 6th Frigate Squadron, so the crew could be trained in the latest ASW tactics.^[38] She participated in multiple exercises and training programs, first with the 6th Frigate Squadron and later with the 3rd Training Squadron, before departing England for Australia on 22 October 1955.^[40]

Queenborough arrived in Sydney on 20 December, and underwent a maintenance period at Garden Island until 16 February 1956.^[41] On completion, the frigate joined with sister ships Quadrant and Quickmatch, and the three ships were deployed to Singapore for Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) Exercise Monsoon.^[41] The ships returned to Darwin on 10 May, with Queenborough and Quickmatch proceeding to Sydney for two months of training exercises.^[42] During this, on 9 May, the two ships joined other RAN and RN units to escort the new Australian aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne on the final leg of her maiden voyage.^[43] Queenborough underwent maintenance from 29 June to 27 August, spent two weeks performing sea trials, then sailed with Quickmatch to Singapore for a Far East Strategic Reserve deployment.^[43] During Queenborough’s nine-month deployment, she participated in several exercises, including SEATO Exercise Tradewind, visited ports in six countries, and located a Japanese submarine sunk during World War II.^[5][43] On 22 January, Queenborough fired 40 rounds from the 4 inch guns at suspected communist terrorist camps on the east coast of Johor, Malaysia.^[44] The deployment concluded on 22 June; Queenborough returned to Sydney on 8 July and entered a three-month refit.^[45]

After the refit, a training component was added to the frigate's duties: a number of engineering and sailor recruits would be embarked during operational deployments.^[45] Following post-refit workups, the ship was sent on a public relations tour to Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane, before she sailed to Lord Howe Island for Exercise Astrolabe.^[45] The ship returned to Sydney, and entered a leave and maintenance period lasting from 13 December 1957 to 3 February 1958.^[45]

[edit] 1958-1960

Following the conclusion of the refit, Queenborough sailed immediately for an anti-submarine exercise, which also involved several Q class frigates, aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, British submarine HMS Telemachus, and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft.^[46] At the conclusion of the exercise, Queenborough and Quickmatch escorted Melbourne to Tasmania for the Royal Hobart Regatta, then sailed to Melbourne.^[47] During the departure on 5 March, Queenborough was involved in a minor collision with SS River Murchison, which delayed her return to Sydney by a day.^[48]

Queenborough and Quickmatch were deployed on a month-long cruise to Lord Howe Island, Brisbane, Noumea, Norfolk Island, Auckland, and Wellington in late March.^[49] During this cruise, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) researchers were embarked on the frigates to perform ocean water quality tests.^[49] The two frigates participated in exercises with the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), with 46 RNZN trainees aboard Queenborough.^[49] The ship also achieved a speed of 31 knots during a full power trial on 27 March, dumped obsolete ammunition while en-route to Noumea, and had her navigational lights malfunction during the night of 24 April.^[49]

Queenborough spent the first two weeks of April in Melbourne, for celebrations of the anniversary of the battle of the Coral Sea.^[50] While returning to Sydney, the frigate's commanding officer suffered a stroke.^[50] The frigate sailed for Sydney at 25 knots; the maximum speed attainable as one boiler was unoperational.^[50] Queenborough arrived on 14 May, her captain was discharged to the RAN hospital at Balmoral, and the ship entered a maintenance period which concluded on 11 July.^[50] The frigate spent the next few months as a training ship.^[50] In November, Queenborough was assigned to escort Melbourne during the carrier's visits to Melbourne and Hobart.^[51] Queenborough served as Melbourne’s plane guard, and performed hydrological surveys off the north-east coast of Tasmania, including around the Maatsuyker Islands.^[52] Queenborough returned to Sydney on 21 November, and entered a maintenance and leave period until 19 January 1957.^[52]

The ship's first deployment in 1957 was to the FESR.^[53] During the four-month assignment, the ship was assigned to the royal escort of HMY Britannia for the visit of Prince Phillip to Singapore, and participated in SEATO Exercise Sea Demon.^[54] The frigate returned to Sydney on 15 May.^[55] From 13 August to 23 August, Queenborough, Quiberon and Warramunga were in Brisbane for the Queensland Agricultural Show and the royal visit of Princess Alexandra of Kent.^[56]

In September, Queenborough and her sister ships were deployed as the 1st Frigate Squadron on a South Australian cruise.^[56] The ships visited training base HMAS Cerberus to provide seamanship familiarisation training, then visited ports in Victoria and South Australia, before they returned to Sydney and met with other vessels for a ceremonial entry to Sydney Harbour on 7 October.^[57] Queenborough remained in Sydney until March 1960, when she was deployed for a third time to the FESR.^[58] During this deployment, the frigate participated in SEATO Exercise Sealion, and later required repairs in Singapore for a rudder defect.^[59] A maintenance period in Hong Kong was cancelled when Queenborough was ordered to sea to assist HMS St Brides Bay.^[59] Queenborough departed Southeast Asia on 29 June, and spent the rest of 1960 in the Sydney area on training duties.^[60]

[edit] 1961-1963

In February 1961, Queenborough was again deployed to the FESR, as the escort of aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne.^[60] While en-route, the strong offshore winds known as the Fremantle Doctor caused a minor collision between the two ships off the coast of Western Australia on 20 February.^[60] The ships participated in Commonwealth Exercise Jet and SEATO Exercise Show Pony.^[61] Queenborough arrived back in Sydney on 15 June, and underwent a refit until 9 October.^[62] She spent the rest of the year on training exercises in Sydney, Melbourne, and New Zealand.^[62]

In February 1962, Queenborough and HMAS Voyager were assigned to escort Melbourne to Southeast Asia for another FESR deployment.^[63] The three Australian ships were involved in SEATO Exercise Sea Devil and a diplomatic visit to Japan, before they returned to Sydney on 21 June.^[64] Queenborough and sister ship Quiberon were drydocked at Garden Island from 13 July to 27 August.^[65] The two ships participated in Exercise Tuckerbox II before being deployed to the FESR in September.^[66] En-route to the FESR deployment, one of Queenborough's crew was lost overboard on 28 September.^[67] The two frigates exercised with RN units off Singapore, and on 26 October responded to a distress call from MV Kawi, recovering her crew from lifeboats during a three day search.^[68][69] Queenborough and Quiberon arrived in Saigon on 31 January 1963 for a diplomatic visit.^[70] They departed for Hong Kong on 4 February, and were the last RAN ships to visit Vietnam before Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War escalated.^[70]

Queenborough and Quiberon returned to Australia in February 1963, and were docked in Williamstown, Victoria.^[71] Queenborough was involved with celebrations of the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II in March, first in Melbourne, then again in Sydney.^[71] The frigate was also tasked as a precautionary search-and-rescue ship; placed between Australia and New Caledonia during the Queen's departure flight.^[71] Queenborough spent the rest of March and most of April participating in training exercises off Queensland.^[71] On her return, Queenborough was deployed with RN submarine HMS Tabard for anti-submarine training during the first week of May.^[72] On 8 May, the ships collided: Tabard was at periscope depth when Queenborough passed above her, damaging the submarine's fin and the frigate's keel and port propellor.^[72] Both vessels were able to safely return to Sydney, where they docked at naval base HMAS Kuttabul for repairs.^[72]

After repairs were completed on 13 May, Queenborough was prepared for decommissioning in Sydney.^[72] However, in early June it was decided to place the frigate in Melbourne's reserve fleet, instead of Sydney's, and the ship had to be restored before she could sail to Williamstown.^[72] Queenborough arrived on 14 June, and was decommissioned into reserve on 10 July 1963.^[72] By this point in her career, she had sailed 310,564 miles.^[73]

[edit] Training ship

[edit] 1966-1969

After spending three years in reserve, a need for expanded training capabilities saw Queenborough recommissioned on 28 July 1966 as a dedicated anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training ship.^[74] While being prepared for her new duties, the 4 inch guns and gunnery radar were removed (although the turret would remain until early 1968).^[75] An improved Type 978 radar was installed.^[75] She joined the 1st Australian Training Squadron, which included HMA Ships Sydney and Anzac.^[76]

After work up trials were completed on 15 August, the frigate sailed to Sydney and immediately commenced training duties, first with RAN units, then with HMS Tabard.^[76] The exercises were primarily for ASW training, although fleet operational exercises and submarine rescue drills were also performed.^[77] On 27 August, the water supply to the ship's boilers failed.^[76] It was discovered that incorrect valves had been fitted to the pumps during recommissioning, which forced Queenborough to return to Sydney and undergo repairs until 8 September.^[76] During October, the ship was involved in fleet exercises, public inspections, bathythermograph dips, and the retrieval of a civilian from Macquarie Island who required advanced medical treatment in Hobart.^[78] The rest of the year's duties involved ASW and ship handling training, including a cruise in the Great Barrier Reef in early December.^[78]

Queenborough's 1967 operational duties began on January 23, with two days of exercises with HMA Ships Sydney and Vendetta, followed by public relations activities in Tasmania.^[79] In early February, the frigate controlled pilotless target aircraft for the gunnery trials of HMA Ships Derwent and Hobart, before taking on trainee classes for most of the year.^[3] The ship earned the nickname Halley's Comet (after the comet) in August, after the ship left Sydney less than twenty-four hours after Acting Commander George Halley took command.^[3] In early December, a steam pipe failure in the No. 1 boiler room killed one crew member and severely scalded another.^[80] The frigate returned to Sydney, and was out of service for a month while repairs were made and a Board of Inquiry investigated the accident.^[81] Queenborough sailed again on 10 December, to assist in the sea inspections of HMA Ships Vendetta and Parramatta.^[81]

Queenborough's duties in January and February of 1968 consisted primarily of public relations activities, although she was also involved in the dumping of obsolete ammunition on two occasions.^[82] In March, the ship's 4 inch turret was removed in Sydney.^[83] Delays caused by industrial action at the dockyard meant the gun was not removed until 25 March, although the ship was still used for ASW training during this time, including participation in a major RAN-RN fleet exercise.^[83] Queenborough visited Melbourne, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island in April, resumed training exercises in May, and underwent a refit from July to September.^[84] Following the refit, Queenborough was involved in Exercise Coral Sands: towing targets for ships and Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, and escorting British landing ship HMS Intrepid during simulated beach attacks.^[85] After the exercise, Queenborough was involved in training exercises, participated in public relations events, and assisted HMAS Stuart during post-refit trials.^[86] From 19 November to 21 November, Queenborough was designated Flagship of the RAN while transporting Rear Admiral Crabb to Stuart, which was to act as Flagship during HMAS Melbourne's refit.^[86]

At the start of 1969, the RAN's ship designation and numbering system was changed from the British system to the US system.^[86] Queenborough was reclassified as a destroyer escort, and received the pennant number 57 (without any prefix letter).^[86] The similarity of the new number to the "57 Varieties" advertising slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company, led to a relationship between the ship and the Australian branch of the company.^[2]

The ship was used to dump ammunition and toxic waste at sea on 26 May 1969, and spent several months on training exercises and cruises, during which Queenborough completed her 400,000th mile of sailing since launching.^[87] She returned to Sydney for a refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in late September.^[87] Industrial disputes delayed the completion of the refit until the start of February 1970.^[88]

[edit] 1970-1972

Following post-refit trials, the ship resumed training duties for the rest of the month, before she sailed to Adelaide to act as Flagship of the Royal South Australian Squadron's centenary regatta.^[88] Queenborough returned to Sydney, and on 31 March responded to a distress call from a tug which had lost its towed ship with three people aboard.^[88] By the time a medic was embarked and the ship had sailed to assist, they were informed that the tug no longer needed assistance.^[88] The ship resumed ASW training, but was forced to return to port on 16 April by defects in the No.2 boiler, the repair of which took two weeks.^[88]

Training resumed after the repairs were completed, and on 18 May sailed to Gladstone, Queensland to participate in a reenactment of James Cook's landing at Round Hill.^[89] Queenborough returned to Sydney on 29 May, and entered a month-long maintenance period.^[89] the sup resumed training duties, and in early July towed targets for the gunnery trials of the recently-commissioned HMAS Swan.^[89] On 21 July, a crack in the hull below the waterline was discovered when water contamination of the fuel began to cause performance problems.^[89] Queenborough sailed to Sydney for an emergency dry-docking at Garden Island, with repairs to the hull taking a month.^[89] On 21 September, the ship was called upon to transport diesel and propane gas to Lord Howe Island, which was experiencing a fuel shortage.^[90] Queenborough returned to Sydney on 28 September, but was sent back to sea immediately to participate in a day-long 'Shop Window' exercise - demonstration of Navy capabilities for politicians and dignitaries.^[90] The ship then sailed on a training cruise to Townsville, before she returned to Sydney for a refit on 9 October.^[90]

What began as a minor refit stretched out to several months, as the hull was showing signs of weakness.^[90] Further delays were caused by industrial action at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, resulting to a move to Garden Island in mid-March 1971.^[91] Post-refit trials were dragged out by a series of faults and malfunctions: the engine manoeuvering valve on 2 April, main steering on 21 April, and a steam valve on 22 April.^[91]Queenborough was repaired to a sufficient state to be present in Newcastle for ANZAC Day (25 April), but the defects prevented further trials until May.^[91] The ship was used for a day cruise on 10 May with WRANS and RANNS personnel embarked, participated in ammunition dumping on 11 May, and recommenced sea trials on 12 May.^[91] Trials continued for most of May, and their successful completion was followed by a visit to Brisbane.^[91] On 15 June, HMA Ships Queenborough and Sydney departed Australia on the latter ship's final overseas voyage.^[92] The ships parted company in Fiji, with Queenborough sailing to Samoa.^[92] During the Samoa visit, a Queenborough crewman killed a Samoan woman in a motor vehicle accident.^[92] After departing Samoa, the ship returned to Fiji, then headed to New Zealand, where several cracks in the bow were detected and repaired.^[92] On her return to Australia, Queenborough participated in fleet training exercises in Jervis Bay before reaching Sydney on 23 July and entering a maintenance period.^[92] The ship resumed training duties in September, and on 15 September, while training aircraft controllers, a Wessex helicopter cut 18 inches (50 cm) from the ship's HF aerial.^[93] The aerial was replaced two days later.^[93]

[edit] Decommissioning and fate

On 20 September, Queenborough sailed to participate in anti-submarine exercises, but was forced to return that evening for repairs to the ship's underwater telephone.^[93] While in Sydney, a hole in the hull was found; while above the waterline, the hole was taking on water while the ship was moving.^[93] Queenborough was immediately withdrawn from service, and underwent a detailed inspection during November and December.^[93] The RAN was advised that the hull and machinery could meet further service life if required, but decommissioning was recommended.^[93]

The decision to pay off Queenborough was made in early 1972, with official notification made on 2 March.^[93] The decommissioning ceremony was held on 7 April 1972.^[93] The last of the Q class ships, Queenborough had sailed 442,759.9 nautical miles since launching.^[94] Following decommissioning, the ship was towed to the Reserve Fleet anchorage near Bradley's Head.^[94] Tenders for purchase of the ship closed in February 1975, and on 8 April 1975 Queenborough was sold to Willtop (Asia) Ltd. through the agents Banks Brothers and Streets.^[95][5] The ship was towed to Hong Kong, arriving on 20 June, and was broken up for scrap.^[95]

[edit] Citations

[edit] Reference list

• Cassells, Vic (2000). The Destroyers: their battles and their badges. East Roseville, NSW: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7318-0893-2. OCLC 46829686. 

• Donohue, Hector (October 1996). From Empire Defence to the Long Haul: post-war defence policy and its impact on naval force structure planning 1945-1955, Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs (No. 1). Canberra: Sea Power Centre. ISSN 1327-5658. ISBN 0-642-25907-0. OCLC 36817771. 

• Gill, George Hermon [1968]. Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945 (PDF), Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 2, Volume II, Canberra: Australian War Memorial. NLA registry number Aus 68-1798. OCLC 65475. Retrieved on 2007-05-14. 
  • Gill, George Hermon [1968]. "Pacific Drive – Indian Ocean Interlude", Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945, pp 362-409. 
  • Gill, George Hermon [1968]. "Leyte", Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945, pp 500-540. 

• Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates. ISBN 0-86777-219-0. OCLC 23470364. 

• Gillett, Ross (1977). Warships of Australia, MacDougall, Anthony; Graham, Colin (illustrations), Adelaide, SA: Rigby. ISBN 0727004727. OCLC 4466019. 

• Grey, Jeffrey (1998). Up Top: the Royal Australian Navy and Southeast Asian conflicts, 1955-1972. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1864482907. OCLC 39074315. 

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• Cooper, Alastair (2001). "The Korean War Era (pp 155-180); The Era of Forward Defence (pp 181-210)", in Stevens, David: The Royal Australian Navy, The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-54116-2. OCLC 50418095. 

• Waters, Sydney David (1956). "The New Zealand Cruisers", The Royal New Zealand Navy, The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch. OCLC 11085179. Retrieved on 2008-02-20. 

• Weaver, Trevor (1994). Q class Destroyers and Frigates of the Royal Australian Navy. Garden Island, NSW: Naval History Society of Australia. ISBN 0-9587456-3-3. OCLC 33162899. 

v • d • e Q and R class destroyers Q class Quadrant - Quail - Quality - Queenborough - Quentin - Quiberon - Quickmatch - Quilliam R class Racehorse - Raider - Rapid - Redoubt - Relentless - Rocket - Roebuck - Rotherham List of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy