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1 Dec,
1942
The Italian blockade breaker Cortellazzo had departed Bordeaux
bound for Japan on 29 November 1942. The next day the ship was spotted
by a Sunderland flying boat. The British destroyer HMS Redoubt (Lt.Cdr.
N.E.G. Ropner, DSO, RN) and the Australian destroyer HMAS Quickmatch (Lt.Cdr. R. Rhoades, DSC,
RAN) were detached from convoy KMF-4 to intercept the Italian ship. They
did so on 1 December and after the Italians had abandoned ship she was
sunk by torpedo by HMS Redoubt about 470 nautical miles west of Cape
Finisterre, Spain in position 44º00'N, 20º00'W.
6 Jul, 1943
The Canadian merchant Jasper Park is torpedoed and sunk south-southwest
of Cap Sainte Marie, Madagascar in position 32.52S, 42.15E by the German
submarine U-177. Later the Australian destroyers HMAS Quiberon (Cdr. W.H. Hartington, DSO,
RAN) and HMAS Quickmatch (Lt.Cdr. O.H. Becher, DSC, RAN) together pick
up 51 survivors.
26 Dec, 1944
At 0500 on 25 December 1944, HMAS Quickmatch (Lt.Cdr. O.H. Becher, DSC,
RAN) was ordered from port during what became known as the "Christmas
Scare" off Sydney, Australia. The German submarine U-862 had torpedoed
the merchant Robin J. Walker. At 2300, the destroyer found the still
sinking liberty ship. It left to search for survivors. It lost radar
contact with merchant ship at 0300 on the 26th and assumed it sank. Two
hours later, it was guided to lifeboats by Catalina aircraft and rescued
Captain MacRae and the 66 surviving members of his crew. |
