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 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]

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