World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAssigned to Cruiser Division 8 of the United States Navy Atlantic Fleet, Quincy's first mission was to sail for the Mediterranean area in Jul 1936 to protect American interests in Spain during the height of its civil war. She served alongside German heavy cruisers at Málaga to evacuate their respective nationals out of Spain. She returned to Boston Navy Yard on 5 Oct 1936, and in the following spring she completed her final trials. She was re-assigned to the Pacific Fleet's Cruiser Division 7; she left Boston on 12 Apr and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 10 May. After engaging in several exercises, she spent some time at Mare Island Navy Yard for an overhaul, then headed back for the Atlantic. She participated in the Good Will Tour to South American 10 Apr-12 Jun 1939.

ww2dbaseAfter Germany launched its invasion of Poland, USS Quincy was sent to North Atlantic for Neutrality Patrols. Early 1941 saw her in the Caribbean, then mid-Atlantic until Jun 1941. She served in the Atlantic with carriers Wasp and Yorktown. On 28 Jul 1941, she sailed with Task Force 16 to Iceland, then headed for patrols in the Denmark Straits during the end of Sep. Later in 1941, she escorted a convoy from Capetown back to Trinidad in the Caribbean Islands. She spent the first half of 1942 back in the North Atlantic, then returned to the United States for an overhaul at New York Navy Yard in May 1942.

ww2dbaseOn 19 Jun 1942, USS Quincy arrived at San Diego and became the flagship of Rear Admiral Norman Scott of Task Force 18. From there she departed for the South Pacific in Jul to support the invasion of Guadalcanal. She arrived in the area in the first week of Aug, and participated in preliminary shelling of the Japanese-held island on 7 Aug; in the shelling she destroyed several Japanese installations and an oil depot at Lunga Point. When the American Marines made the landing, she also provided gun support. During the early hours of 9 Aug 1942, while on patrol off Savo Island north of Guadalcanal, her force was surprise attacked by Admiral Gunichi Mikawa's force. When the attacking Japanese cruisers trained their searchlights on Quincy, Quincy's guns were still trained. She was caught between two columns of Japanese cruisers and received a pounding. "We're going down between them - give them hell!" said Captain Moore of Quincy. She fought valiantly, but was not able to overcome the heavy firing from the Japanese cruisers. She capsized and sank at about 0235 that day, becoming one of the first ships that eventually nicknamed that area of the water "Ironbottom Sound". 370 lives were lost aboard Quincy during the Battle of Savo Island, and 167 were wounded.

Heavy Cruiser Quincy (New Orleans-class) (CA-39) Interactive Map

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Quincy (New Orleans-class) Operational Timeline

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16.  David Stubblebine says:
16 Apr 2016 08:13:50 PM

The Muster Rolls for the USS Quincy list a Fireman 3rd class Joseph Francis Dietz from at least 16 Nov 1940 through to the sinking. [It is important to remember what the rating of “Fireman” means in the Navy. These were not firefighters but rather they kept the fires burning in the engine room – commonly called “the black gang.”]

19.  David Stubblebine says:
7 May 2017 04:38:50 PM

Carl Justice (above):
Edward Henry Hornick, Seaman 1st class, service number 258 21 24, who enlisted 12 Sep 1938 at Baltimore MD, was received aboard Quincy on 8 Apr 1942 from the Receiving Station, Boston MA. He apparently was transferred off the muster rolls on 3 Sep 1942 after Quincy was sunk a month earlier on 9 Aug 1942.

20.  David Stubblebine says:
7 May 2017 04:57:54 PM

Anonymous #17 (above):
Robert John McCoy, Fireman 3rd class, service number 342 08 52, who enlisted 6 Sep 1938 at Kansas City MO, was received aboard Quincy on 5 Jul 1939 at Norfolk VA. He is last mentioned in the Quincy muster rolls on 30 Jun 1942. He is listed in the USS Argonne Dec 1942 muster rolls as a Machinists Mate 1st class and that he was received aboard on 21 Aug 1942.

26.  David Stubblebine says:
15 Aug 2017 09:52:05 PM

Karen Harter (above):
The Quincy Muster Rolls list a Joseph Walter Corliss, service number 223 41 12, who enlisted 6 Oct 1937 in Brooklyn NY and was received aboard Quincy 9 Mar 1938 as a Seaman 2nd-class. He left the ship as a Fire Controlman 2nd-class 13 Oct 1941 due to being Honorably Discharged at the end of his enlistment. His discharge was almost 2 months before Pearl Harbor and 10 months before Quincy was sunk. You can learn a lot more about his time in the Navy by requesting a copy of his service record. See http://ww2db.com/faq/#3

38.  David Stubblebine says:
5 Aug 2019 09:26:30 PM

Kelly (above):
Navy Muster Rolls list Seaman 1st-class Warren Lee Keyes, service number 337 61 99, enlisted 5 Jun 1941 at St. Louis, Missouri and reported aboard USS Quincy 8 Apr 1942 at Boston, Massachusetts and was immediate transferred to Quincy’s aviation unit, Cruiser Scouting Squadron 7. The Rolls later list him being transferred to the troop ship USS Wharton 10 Aug 1942 as a survivor of the Quincy. Warren Keyes’ service record will have much more detail about his time in the Navy. For more on how to order a copy, see https://ww2db.com/faq/#3.