HMAS Nepal (G25)

The N-class destroyer had a displacement of 1,760 tons at standard load, and 2,353 tons at full load.[1] Nepal was 356 feet 6 inches (108.66 m) long overall and 229 feet 6 inches (69.95 m) long between perpendiculars, had a beam of 35 feet 8 inches (10.87 m), and a maximum draught of 16 feet 4 inches (4.98 m).[1] Propulsion was provided by Admiralty 3-drum boilers connected to Parsons geared steam turbines, which provided 40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000 kW) to the ship's two propellers.[2] Nepal was capable of reaching 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[1] The ship's company consisted of 226 officers and sailors.[2]

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).[1] The 4-inch gun was removed later in Nepal's career.[1]

HMAS Nepal underway

The ship was laid down as Norseman by John I. Thornycroft and Company at Woolston, Hampshire on 9 September 1939.[2] She was launched on 4 December 1941.[2] Later in December, an air raid on the shipyard saw Norseman take serious damage; a direct hit nearly cut the destroyer in two.[1] The ship was repaired, during which her name was changed to Nepal, honouring Nepal's contribution to the British war effort.[1] Nepal was commissioned into the RAN on 11 May 1942: although commissioned as an Australian warship, she remained the property of the Royal Navy.[3] The warship cost 402,939 pounds to build.[2]

After commissioning, Nepal was assigned to the Home Fleet, based at Scapa Flow.[2] During this time, the ship was filmed to represent the fictional HMS Torrin for the British war film In Which We Serve.[4] In July 1942, the destroyer was reassigned to the British Eastern Fleet, and sailed from Scotland to Kenya.[2] During September, the destroyer was involved in the later parts of the Madagascar campaign.[2] During the rest of 1942, the destroyer operated on convoy escort runs and anti-submarine patrols from Kilindini.[2] In March 1943, Nepal sailed to Australia for a two-month refit during April and May.[2]

Nepal returned to the Indian Ocean in June 1943, and resumed operations with the Eastern Fleet, this time from Trincomalee.[2] In April 1944, the destroyer was part of the carrier escort screen during Operation Cockpit, then again in May for Operation Transom.[2] In August, the destroyer returned to Australia for refit, then was assigned to escort the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious during late November and early December.[2] From 7 December 1944 to 12 February 1945, Nepal and sister ship HMAS Napier were involved in supporting the 74th Indian Infantry Brigade.[2] 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.[2]

At the start of March 1945, Nepal was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet; her pennant number was changed from G25 to D14.[3] The destroyer remained with the Pacific Fleet until after the end of World War II.[2] Nepal earned four battle honours for her wartime service: "Indian Ocean 1942–44", "Burma 1944–45", "Pacific 1945", and "Okinawa 1945".[5][6]

Nepal arrived in Sydney on 22 October, and was decommissioned and returned to the Royal Navy.[2] She was recommissioned by the Royal Navy 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.[7]

Subsequently Nepal became a sea training vessel attached to HMS Lochinvar, Port Edgar, on The Firth of Forth.[8]

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.[7]

• Cassells, Vic (2000). The Destroyers: Their Battles and Their Badges. East Roseville, New South Wales: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7318-0893-2. OCLC 46829686.

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• English, John (2001). Afridi to Nizam: British Fleet Destroyers 1937–43. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-64-9.
• Friedman, Norman (2006). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-86176-137-6.
• Frame, Tom; Baker, Kevin (2000). Mutiny! Naval Insurrections in Australia and New Zealand. St. Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-351-8. OCLC 46882022.
• Gillett, Ross; Graham, Colin (1977). Warships of Australia. Adelaide, South Australia: Rigby. ISBN 0-7270-0472-7.
• Hodges, Peter; Friedman, Norman (1979). Destroyer Weapons of World War 2. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-137-3.
• Langtree, Charles (2002). The Kelly's: British J, K, and N Class Destroyers of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-422-9.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
• March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.