HMAS Nepal (G25)

Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristics

HMAS Nepal (G25/D14) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Launched in 1941 as Norseman, the ship suffered significant damage during an air raid on the John I. Thornycroft and Company shipyard, and during repairs was renamed to recognise Nepal's contribution to the British war effort. Although commissioned into the RAN in 1942, the ship remained the property of the Royal Navy.

Most of NepalTemplate:'s wartime service was as part of the British Eastern Fleet, operating in the Indian Ocean. The destroyer was involved in Madagascar campaign in 1942, and the Cockpit and Transom air raids in 1944. In early 1945, Nepal was reassigned to the British Pacific Fleet, and operated with them for the rest of the war.

On her return to Sydney in October 1945, Nepal was decommissioned and returned to the Royal Navy who recommissioned her as HMS Nepal. She was scrapped in 1956.

Design and construction

The N-class destroyer had a displacement of 1,760 tons at standard load, and 2,353 tons at full load.<ref name=Cassells56>Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 56</ref> Nepal was Template:Convert long overall and Template:Convert long between perpendiculars, had a beam of Template:Convert, and a maximum draught of Template:Convert.<ref name=Cassells56/> Propulsion was provided by Admiralty 3-drum boilers connected to Parsons geared steam turbines, which provided Template:Convert to the ship's two propellers.<ref name=Cassells57>Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 57</ref> Nepal was capable of reaching Template:Convert.<ref name=Cassells56/> The ship's company consisted of 226 officers and sailors.<ref name=Cassells57/>

The ship's armament consisted of six 4.7-inch QF Mark XII guns in three twin mounts, a single 4-inch QF Mark V gun, a 2-pounder 4-barrel Pom Pom, four 0.5-inch machine guns, four 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, four .303 Lewis machine guns, two Pentad dual torpedo launcher tube sets (with 8 torpedoes carried), two depth-charge throwers and one depth-charge chute (with 45 charges carried).<ref name=Cassells56/> The 4-inch gun was removed later in NepalTemplate:'s career.<ref name=Cassells56/>

HMAS Nepal underway

The ship was laid down as Norseman by John I. Thornycroft and Company at Woolston, Hampshire on 9 September 1939.<ref name=Cassells57/> She was launched on 4 December 1941.<ref name=Cassells57/> Later in December, an air raid on the shipyard saw Norseman take serious damage; a direct hit nearly cut the destroyer in two.<ref name=Cassells56/> The ship was repaired, during which her name was changed to Nepal, honouring Nepal's contribution to the British war effort.<ref name=Cassells56/> Nepal was commissioned into the RAN on 11 May 1942: although commissioned as an Australian warship, she remained the property of the Royal Navy.<ref name=Cassells56.7>Cassells, The Destroyers, pp. 56–7</ref> The warship cost £402,939 to build.<ref name=Cassells57/>

Operational history

After commissioning, Nepal was assigned to the Home Fleet, based at Scapa Flow.<ref name=Cassells57/> During this time, the ship was filmed to represent the fictional HMS Torrin for the British war film In Which We Serve.<ref>Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 60</ref> In July 1942, the destroyer was reassigned to the British Eastern Fleet, and sailed from Scotland to Kenya.<ref name=Cassells57/> During September, the destroyer was involved in the later parts of the Madagascar campaign.<ref name=Cassells57/> During the rest of 1942, the destroyer operated on convoy escort runs and anti-submarine patrols from Kilindini.<ref name=Cassells57/> In March 1943, Nepal sailed to Australia for a two-month refit during April and May.<ref name=Cassells57/>

Nepal returned to the Indian Ocean in June 1943, and resumed operations with the Eastern Fleet, this time from Trincomalee.<ref name=Cassells57/> In April 1944, the destroyer was part of the carrier escort screen during Operation Cockpit, then again in May for Operation Transom.<ref name=Cassells57/> In August, the destroyer returned to Australia for refit, then was assigned to escort the aircraft carrier Template:HMS during late November and early December.<ref name=Cassells57/> From 7 December 1944 to 12 February 1945, Nepal and sister ship Template:HMAS were involved in supporting the 74th Indian Infantry Brigade.<ref name=Cassells57/> During this, on 5 February, Nepal damaged one of her propellers when it struck a submerged rock in the Kaleindaung River, but was able to keep operating on one propeller until the end of the deployment.<ref name=Cassells57/>

At the start of March 1945, Nepal was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet; her pennant number was changed from G25 to D14.<ref name=Cassells56.7/> The destroyer remained with the Pacific Fleet until after the end of World War II.<ref name=Cassells57/> Nepal earned four battle honours for her wartime service: "Indian Ocean 1942–44", "Burma 1944–45", "Pacific 1945", and "Okinawa 1945".<ref name=newhonours>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=honourslist>Template:Cite web</ref>

Decommissioning and fate

Nepal arrived in Sydney on 22 October, and was decommissioned and returned to the Royal Navy.<ref name=Cassells57/> She was recommissioned as HMS Nepal and sailed back to the UK arriving on 28 December 1945 – some three and a half years after leaving. After repairs and having her armament removed she initially was used as a minesweeper trials ship in the Channel.<ref name="english"/> Subsequently Nepal became a sea training vessel attached to Template:HMS, Port Edgar, on The Firth of Forth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

She was reduced to the reserve in early 1951 and was nominated for a Type 15 conversion but no work was carried out before May 1954 when it was cancelled. Nepal was passed to the British Iron & Steel Corporation in January 1956 who allocated her to the Briton Ferry yard of Thos. W. Ward for scrapping where she arrived on 16 January.<ref name="english">Template:Cite book</ref>

References

• Template:Cite book

Further reading

• Template:Cite Colledge2006
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book