HMS Nonpareil was a Repeat Admiralty M-classdestroyer that served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on those of the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. Nonpareil had a largely uneventful war. Joining the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet in 1916, the vessel was soon involved in an exercise that involved most of the dreadnoughts of the First and Third Battle Squadrons but did not take part in any fleet actions. In 1917, the destroyer was a participant in anti-ship and anti-submarine patrols, but these were unsuccessful and the ship did not engage any enemy warships. After the Armistice that ended the war, Nonpareil was initially put in reserve and then sold in 1921 to be broken up.
Design and development
Nonpareil was one of 22 Repeat Admiralty M-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in late November 1914 as part of the Third War Programme soon after the start of the First World War.[1] The M class was an improved version of the earlier L class, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured new German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and, although ultimately the destroyers fell short of that ambition in service, the extra performance that was achieved was valued by the navy. It transpired that the German warships did not exist.[2] The Repeat M class differed from the prewar vessels in having a raked stem and design improvements based on wartime experience.[3]
The destroyer had a length of 265 ft (80.8 m) between perpendiculars and 273 ft 4 in (83.3 m) overall, with a beam of 26 ft 8 in (8.1 m) and draught of 8 ft 11 in (2.7 m).[4]Displacement was 948 long tons (963 t) normal. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtiss steam turbines rated at 27,800 shaft horsepower (20,700 kW). The turbines drove three shafts and exhausted through three funnels. Design speed was 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph), which the vessel exceeded on trials.[1][3] A total of 228 long tons (232 t) of oil was carried. Design range was 2,530 nautical miles (4,690 km; 2,910 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), but actual endurance in service was less; sister shipMurray had a range of 2,240 nautical miles (4,150 km; 2,580 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[4]
During 1917, the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla was involved in anti-submarine operations, and for nine days from 15 June the destroyer was stationed off the Shetland Islands.[14][15] The operation did not lead to the destruction of any submarines and the Admiralty increasingly redeployed the destroyers of the Grand Fleet to escorting convoys.[16] Nonetheless, on 15 October, Nonpareil formed part of a large-scale operation, involving 30 cruisers and 54 destroyers deployed in eight groups across the North Sea in an attempt to stop a suspected sortie by German naval forces.[17] Despite these measures, the German light cruisers Bremse and Brummer managed to attack the regular convoy between Norway and Britain two days later, sinking two destroyers, Mary Rose and Strongbow, and nine merchant ships before returning safely to Germany.[18]
After the Armistice that ended the war in 1918, the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money.[19] The destroyer was transferred to reserve at Portsmouth.[20] However, that situation did not last long. The harsh conditions of wartime operations, exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not galvanised, meant that the ship was soon worn out.[21]Nonpareil was retired, and, on 9 May 1921, was sold to Ward to be broken up at Briton Ferry.[8]
^"Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". Supplement to the Monthly Navy List: 12. July 1916. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2023 – via National Library of Scotland.
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