HMAS Nestor (G02)

Port bow view of HMAS Nestor in 1941
History
Australia
Namesake	Greek mythological rule Nestor
Builder	Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited
Laid down	1939
Launched	9 July 1940
Commissioned	3 February 1941
Honours and awards	Battle honours: Bismarck 1941 Atlantic 1941 Malta Convoys 1941–42 Indian Ocean 1942
Fate	Scuttled on 16 June 1942, following damage from bombing
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	N-class destroyer
Displacement	1,773 long tons (1,801 t) ( standard ) 2,384 long tons (2,422 t) ( deep load )
Length	356 ft 6 in (108.7 m) (o/a)
Beam	35 ft 9 in (10.9 m)
Draught	12 ft 6 in (3.8 m)
Installed power	40,000 shp (30,000 kW) 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 steam turbines
Speed	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range	5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	183
Sensors and processing systems	ASDIC Type 285 gunnery radar Type 286 surface-search radar
Armament	3 × twin QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mk XII guns 1 × single AA gun 4 × single 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns 2 × twin QF 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) Mk III machineguns 1 × quintuple torpedo tubes 45 × depth charges, 1 × rack, 2 × throwers

HMAS Nestor (G02) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in Scotland, Nestor was commissioned in February 1941; although manned by Australians and commissioned as an Australian warship, she remained the property of the Royal Navy.

Entering service in 1941, Nestor spent most of her career as a patrol and escort vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean, and the Far East. In December 1941, the destroyer located and sank the German submarine U-127. In June 1942, Nestor sailed as part of the Operation Vigorous escort force, protecting a supply convoy to Malta. On the evening of 15 June, the ship was heavily damaged by air attack. Despite attempts to tow the ship to base, Nestor was abandoned and scuttled off Crete the next morning. Nestor is the only ship of the RAN that never operated in Australian waters.^[1]

Design and construction

The

During sea trials, Nestor was called on to make several deployments north of the British Isles, in poor conditions.^[4] On 14 May, the sailors aboard mutinied in response to the heavy drinking sessions of the ship's captain and two other senior officers: they locked themselves in their accommodations and refused to man the ship until the officers were removed.^[4] The ship's doctor visited the admiral at Scapa Flow (where the ship was based); the admiral sent marines to arrest the three officers, and appointed a new commander to Nestor.^[4]

After completing sea trials, Nestor was assigned to escort and patrol duties in the North Atlantic.

On 12 June 1942, Nestor sailed from Haifa as part of the large escort force for Operation Vigorous, a Malta Convoy consisting of 11 merchant ships carrying food, fuel, and supplies for the besieged island.^[3][5] Air harassment of the convoy began almost immediately after leaving port.^[5] During the afternoon of 15 June, the convoy received word that a second convoy (Operation Harpoon) sailing from the west had successfully arrived, and based on the quantity of air attacks and intelligence that an Italian fleet was in the area, it was decided to return the Vigorous convoy to Alexandria.^[3][5]

According to one source, at around 18:00, while off Crete, an Italian bomber attacked Nestor,^[3] killing four sailors and seriously damaging the destroyer's engine rooms.^[5] Other sources assert the attack was carried out by Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers from Sturzkampfgeschwader 3.^[7] HMS Javelin began to tow Nestor, but by 05:30 on 16 June, the quantity of water taken on by the Australian ship meant that recovery was no longer practical.^[3][5] The ship's company transferred to Javelin, and Nestor was scuttled with depth charges.^[3][5] Nestor was the only major RAN ship to never visit Australia.^[1]

Nestor's wartime service was recognised with four

References

• Bastock, John (1975). Australia's Ships of War. Cremorne, NSW: Angus and Robertson.
  OCLC 2525523
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• Cassells, Vic (2000). The Destroyers: Their Battles and Their Badges. East Roseville, New South Wales: Simon & Schuster.
  OCLC 46829686
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• Frame, Tom; Baker, Kevin (2000). Mutiny! Naval Insurrections in Australia and New Zealand. St. Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin.
  OCLC 46882022
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• Smith, Peter (2011). The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka: A Complete History. London, UK: Crecy Publishing Limited.
  ISBN 978-0-85979-156-4
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• ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8
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• English, John (2001). Afridi to Nizam: British Fleet Destroyers 1937–43. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society.
  ISBN 0-905617-64-9
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• Friedman, Norman (2006). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
  ISBN 1-86176-137-6
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• Gillett, Ross; Graham, Colin (1977). Warships of Australia. Adelaide, South Australia: Rigby.
  ISBN 0-7270-0472-7
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• Hodges, Peter; Friedman, Norman (1979). Destroyer Weapons of World War 2. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press.
  ISBN 978-0-85177-137-3
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• 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
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• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
  ISBN 1-55750-048-7
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• 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
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• 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
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• Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
  ISBN 0-87021-326-1
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMAS Nestor (G02).

• Cardstock paper model plan for HMAS Nestor

33°36′N 24°30′E / 33.600°N 24.500°E / 33.600; 24.500