HMVS Nepean

Sister ship HMVS Lonsdale
History
Colony of Victoria
NameHMVS Nepean
OperatorVictorian Naval Forces
BuilderJohn I. Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick
Australia
NameHMAS Nepean
Acquired1901
Out of service1912
FateSunk on mud flats at Swan Island in 1912 after being stripped of machinery and equipment.[1]
General characteristics
TypeSecond-class torpedo boat
Displacement12.5 tons
Length67 ft (20 m)
Beam7.5ft
Draught3.25 ft (0.99 m)
Installed power150
Speed17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) (max)
Crew7
Armament

HMVS Nepean was a Victorian Naval Forces second-class torpedo boat and was later operated by the Commonwealth Naval Forces and the Royal Australian Navy.[1][2]

Design and construction

Nepean was one of several torpedo boats ordered by the government of Victoria in 1882 to protect the colony from a possible Russian or French attack, and was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick.[3][4]

Nepean was 67 feet (20 m) long, with a draught of 3.25 feet (0.99 m), and a displacement of 12.5 tons.[5] She was designed with a low freeboard, to minimise her profile.[4] The boat had a maximum speed of 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph).[5][4]

History

Due to ‘Russian scare’ of 1882,[6] the government finalised the purchase of Nepean.[3] Following completion in the United Kingdom on 7 July 1884 Nepean arrived in Melbourne as deck cargo on the SS Port Darwin. In 1888, improved torpedo dropping apparatus was added during modifications.[7]

In 1901, the torpedo boats were taken over by the Commonwealth. In 1902, she was put up for auction which was unsuccessful so, until 1909 she continued to take part in manoeuvres. In 1911, she briefly became a unit of the Royal Australian Navy before being stripped of all her useful fittings at Williamstown in 1912 and being beached ashore on Swan Island.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Sinking Torpedo Boats". The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria), Thursday 20 June 1912 p.10. 20 June 1912. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Getting Shipshape: Evaluating Shipwreck Significance in Victoria" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b Cahill, Denis. "H.M.V.S. Lonsdale 1882 - 1914".
  4. ^ a b c "Queenscliff Maritime Museum - Special Historic Items". Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  5. ^ a b HMVS Lonsdale & HMVS Nepean
  6. ^ "Iron, Steel & Steamship Archaeology: Proceedings of 2nd Australian seminar, held in Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney, 2006" (PDF).
  7. ^ a b Navy, Royal Australian. "HMAS Nepean (HMVS)". www.navy.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.


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