HMAS Napier (G97)

HMAS ''Napier'' (G97/D13) was an N-class destroyer serving in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. Built during 1939 and 1940, the destroyer was commissioned into the RAN, although she was ordered and owned by the British government. During 1941, ''Napier'' operated in the Mediterranean, before being transferred to the British Eastern Fleet at the start of 1942, then to south Atlantic operations in early 1944. In 1945, ''Napier'' was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet, and spent the rest of World War II in the fight against Japan. After the war's end, the destroyer was decommissioned and returned to the British. She was sold off in 1955, and broken up in 1956.

Design and construction

The N-class destroyer had a displacement of 1,760 tons at standard load, and 2,353 tons at full load.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 51 ''Napier'' was long overall and long between perpendiculars, had a beam of , and a maximum draught of . Propulsion was provided by Admiralty 3-drum boilers connected to Parsons geared steam turbines, which provided 40,000 shaft horsepower to the ship's two propellers.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 52 ''Napier'' was capable of reaching . The ship's company consisted of 226 officers and sailors.

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).Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', pp. 51–2 The 4-inch gun was removed later in ''Napier''s career.

''Napier'' was the first of the eight-ship N class laid down under the War Emergency Programme when construction started at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company shipyard in Govan, Scotland on 26 July 1939. The destroyer was launched on 22 May 1940 by the wife of one of the company directors, and was commissioned into the RAN on 28 November 1940. Although commissioned as an Australian warship, ''Napier'' remained the property of the Royal Navy. The ship was named after Scottish Admiral Sir Charles Napier, with the ship's badge taken from the family coat of arms, and cost 403,960 pounds to build.

Operating history

During the ship's first weeks of operation, several sailors threatened to mutiny by refusing to leave the mess decks; this was defused when the ship's first lieutenant humorously threatened to "flog 'em out of the mess decks with ropes' ends".

In January 1941, "Napier" carried Winston Churchill to the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow from nearby Scrabster when Churchill accompanied Lord Halifax there for his departure for the United States to serve as British Ambassador.

After completing sea trials, ''Napier'' spent the first part of her career operating as a convoy escort in the North Atlantic. ''Napier'' and sister ship were transferred to the Mediterranean, arriving in time to participate in the evacuation of Crete. ''Napier'' was then assigned to Port Said for months, serving as control ship for the harbour's defence at night, while undergoing repairs and refits in the day. On completion in August, the destroyer was assigned as lead ship of the 7th Destroyer Flotilla. During the remainder of the year, ''Napier'' participated in the Tobruk Ferry Service, escorted convoys through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and transferred troops between Cyprus and Hafia.

At the start of 1942, ''Napier'', ''Nestor'', and were transferred to the British Eastern Fleet. The ships' first task was to escort the carrier to the Malaya-Java area. In June, ''Napier'' and ''Nestor'' returned to the Mediterranean for Operation Vigorous, a major convoy to support besieged Malta. ''Napier'' returned to duties with the Eastern Fleet after the unsuccessful convoy run, and in September participated in the Madagascar campaign, particularly the surrender of Majunga and the occupation of Tamatave.

The destroyer commenced patrols of the East Indian Ocean in October, which she continued until March 1943, when she joined the Atlantic anti-submarine force based in South Africa. At the start of 1944, ''Napier'' was assigned to Indian waters. Later in the year, the ship sailed to Australia for a long period of refitting at Williamstown, but returned to the Eastern Fleet in early November. During December, ''Napier'' supported operations of the 74th Indian Infantry Brigade. In January 1945, ''Napier'' took part in landings at Akyab and Ramree.

In early 1945, ''Napier'' was reassigned to the British Pacific Fleet, changing her pennant from G97 to D13. During May, the destroyer was part of the escort screen for the carrier air raids on Sakishima.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 53 ''Napier'' was present in Tokyo Bay on Victory over Japan Day (2 September 1945), when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed. After supporting the occupation landings, the destroyer sailed to Sydney.

''Napier'' earned six battle honours for her wartime service: "Crete 1941", "Libya 1941", "Indian Ocean 1942–44", "Burma 1944–45", "Pacific 1945", and "Okinawa 1945".

Decommissioning and fate

The Australian ship's company left on 25 October 1945, and ''Napier'' was returned to the RN. The ship was not recommissioned, and was sold to Thos. W. Ward for scrap in 1955. She arrived at Briton Ferry in January 1956 for breaking.

Citations

References

*
*
*

Further reading

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier (G97)
N-class destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy
Ships built in Govan
1940 ships
World War II destroyers of Australia