The USS Quick (DD-490/DMS-32) was a Gleaves-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War II. Laid down on November 3, 1941, by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Kearny, New Jersey, she was launched on May 3, 1942, and commissioned on July 3, 1942. The ship was named in honor of Sergeant Major John H. Quick, a Medal of Honor recipient recognized for gallantry during the Spanish–American War. Constructed as a typical Gleaves-class destroyer, USS Quick was initially assigned to escort duties along the U.S. East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. After shakedown off New England and the Maritime Provinces, she departed New York in September 1942 for convoy escort missions in the Gulf and West Indies, areas heavily targeted by German U-boats. In November 1942, USS Quick participated in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, where she provided gunfire support during landings at Safi, Morocco, and later aided in sinking the German U-boat U-173 off Casablanca. Throughout early 1943, Quick continued escorting trans-Atlantic convoys and participated in operations supporting the Allied campaigns in North Africa and Sicily, including providing fire support off Scoglitti during the Sicily invasion in July 1943. She maintained her escort duties in the Atlantic and Mediterranean until the end of the European war. In June 1945, USS Quick was converted into a destroyer-minesweeper (DMS-32) at Charleston Naval Shipyard to support Pacific theater operations, especially minesweeping efforts in the aftermath of the war. She arrived in the Pacific after hostilities ceased, operating around Hawaii, Eniwetok, and the Japanese coast, including off China and Okinawa. Her post-war service included deployments to the Trust Territories, Japan, and the Marianas. Decommissioned on May 28, 1949, USS Quick was later reclassified as DD-490 in 1955, struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1972, and sold for scrap in 1973. Throughout her service, she earned four battle stars for her participation in World War II, marking her as a notable vessel in the U.S. Navy’s wartime fleet.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.