HMS Quorn (M41)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Quorn.

HMS Quorn in 2001
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Quorn
OperatorRoyal Navy
BuilderVosper Thornycroft
Launched23 January 1988
Sponsored byLady Rosemary Thompson
Commissioned1989
Decommissioned14 December 2017
Identification
FateSold to Lithuania April 2020
General characteristics
Class and typeHunt-class mine countermeasures vessel
Displacement750 t (740 long tons; 830 short tons)[1]
Length60 m (196 ft 10 in)
Beam9.8 m (32 ft 2 in)
Draught2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Propulsion2 shaft Napier Deltic diesel, 3,540 shp
Speed17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement45 (6 officers & 39 ratings)
Sensors and
processing systems		Sonar Type 2193
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • SeaFox mine disposal system
  • Diver-placed explosive charges
Armament

HMS Quorn, the third ship of this name, was a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 23 January 1988, as the last ship of her class.

Operational history

Entering Portsmouth Harbour, October 2008

On 18 March 2007, she was presented with the Freedom of the Borough scroll in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.[2]

From May 2011 to September 2014, Quorn was deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of the Royal Navy's permanent presence in the region. Based in Bahrain, Quorn's crew changed every six months enabling the ship to remain on station for a prolonged period without the costs associated with returning to the United Kingdom. During the deployment, Quorn was "twinned" with American minehunter USS Devastator.[3]

Quorn spent the late spring and summer of 2015 on deployment in northern European waters, including the Baltic Sea as part of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1). During the deployment, she took part in Exercise Joint Warrior off Scotland, BALTOPS 2015 alongside HM Ships Iron Duke and Ocean and Kiel Week before returning to Portsmouth in July.[4]

After spending a period alongside in extended readiness, Quorn was lifted out of the water into the "Minor War Vessels Centre of Specialisation"; the former shipbuilding hall at HMNB Portsmouth in December 2016.[5] However, in October 2017 it was revealed that her planned refit would not take place, and Quorn would be decommissioned on 14 December 2017.[6] The ship's bell and naval ensign were presented to Quorn Parish Council in 2018 and are on display in the town's community library.[7]

Lithuanian Navy

On 30 April 2020 Defence Equipment Services announced she had been sold for £1 million to the Lithuanian Navy.[8][9] In July 2022 the Ministry of Defence announced that Harland & Wolff Appledore had been awarded the £55 million contract to renovate and restore the ship to an operational state.[10]

Affiliations

References

  1. ^ "Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels - Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Freedom of the Borough". Melton Borough Council. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  3. ^ "HMS Quorn sails home to Portsmouth after three years in gulf". Royal Navy. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  4. ^ "HMS Quorn returns to Portsmouth after busy NATO deployment". Royal Navy. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Minehunters go undercover as Quorn and Atherstone begin revamp". Royal Navy. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  6. ^ Reid, Nick (27 October 2017). "Royal Navy ship that carries town's name to be scrapped". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  7. ^ "HMS Quorn" (PDF). Quorn Village Museum. p. 4. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Sale of mine-hunting vessel to Lithuania could generate contract for British shipbuilding firm". Defence Equipment Support. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  9. ^ Brief News Ships Monthly July 2020 page 17
  10. ^ "Devon yard awarded £55m work to overhaul ship for Lithuania". UK Defence Journal. 14 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Ipswich to get another warship". Ipswich Star. 4 February 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
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