Quest (ship)

For the ship attacked by Somali pirates, see SY Quest incident.

Quest
History
Name
  • Foca I (1917–21)
  • Quest RYS (1921–23)
  • Quest (1923–40)
  • HMS Quest (1940–46)
  • Quest (1946–62)
Owner
  • A Ingebrigtsen (1917–21)
  • E Shackleton (1921–23)
  • W G Oliffe (1923–24)
  • Schjelderups Sælfangstrederi AS (1924–39)
  • Skips-AS Quest (1939–62)
Operator
  • A Ingebrigtsen (1917–21)
  • E Shackleton (1921–23)
  • W G Oliffe (1923–24)
  • T Schjelderup (1924–39)
  • I Austad (1939–40)
  • Nortraship (1940)
  • Royal Navy (1940–46)
  • Nortraship (1946)
Port of registry
  • Norway Høvik (1917–21)
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Cowes (1921–23)
  • United Kingdom Cowes (1923–24)
  • Norway Bodø (1924–39)
  • Norway Tromsø (1939–40)
  • United Kingdom Royal Navy (1940–46)
  • Norway Tromsø (1946–62)
BuilderErik Lindstøls Båtbyggeri, Risør
Launched1917
Identification
  • Fishery registration K-13-K (1917–21)
  • Fishery registration N-94-BN (1924–39)[1]
  • Fishery registration T-24-T (1939–40)
  • British Official number 135395 (1921–23)
  • Code Letters KJHV (1921–23)
  • Code Letters LJBT (1924–34)
  • Code Letters LCVR (1934–62)
FateFoundered 5 May 1962 in the Labrador Sea
General characteristics
Type
  • Sealer (1917–21)
  • Research Vessel (1921–24)
  • Sealer (1924–40)
  • Minesweeper (1940–46)
  • Sealer (1946–62)
Tonnage
Length110 ft 7 in (33.71 m)
Beam24 ft 9 in (7.54 m)
Depth of hold11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Propulsion
  • Sails, aided by compound steam engine (1917–39)
  • Diesel engine (1939–62)
Sail planSchooner[1]

Quest was a low-powered, schooner-rigged steamship that sailed from 1917 until sinking in 1962, best known as the polar exploration vessel of the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922. It was aboard this vessel that Sir Ernest Shackleton died on 5 January 1922 while in harbour in South Georgia.[2] Prior to and after the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition, Quest operated in commercial service as a seal-hunting vessel or "sealer". Quest was also the primary expedition vessel of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition to the east coast of the island of Greenland in 1930–1931.

Quest was 111 feet (34 m) in length, had a beam of 24 feet (7.3 m), and 12 feet (3.7 m) depth of hold.[3] The vessel has been variously rated at 209 and 214 gross register tons,[1] possibly due to the 1924 refit described below.

  1. ^ a b c "M/S Quest". warsailors.com. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference RCGS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Antarctic Ships". antarctic-circle.org. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2010.