HMS Nonpareil was a Repeat that served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on those of the preceding , 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 s 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. The M class was an improved version of the earlier , required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured new German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of 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. The Repeat M class differed from the prewar vessels in having a raked stem and design improvements based on wartime experience.

The destroyer had a length of between perpendiculars and overall, with a beam of and draught of . Displacement was normal. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtiss steam turbines rated at . The turbines drove three shafts and exhausted through three funnels. Design speed was , which the vessel exceeded on trials. A total of of oil was carried. Design range was at , but actual endurance in service was less; sister ship had a range of at .

Nonpareil had a main armament consisting of three single QF Mk IV guns on the centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels. Torpedo armament consisted of two twin torpedo tubes for torpedoes located aft of the funnels. Two single 1-pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns were carried. The anti-aircraft guns were later replaced by 2-pdr "pom-pom" guns. To combat submarines, the destroyer was fitted with racks and storage for depth charges. Initially, only two depth charges were carried but the number increased in service and by 1918, the vessel was carrying between 30 and 50 depth charges. The ship had a complement of 80 officers and ratings.

Construction and career Nonpareil was laid down by Stephens on 24 February 1915 at Linthouse, launched on 7 February the following year and completed on 28 June. The vessel was the third of the name in service with the Royal Navy and was deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla based at Scapa Flow. On 4 July, the new flotilla was sent from Scapa Flow to the Humber. On 22 November, the flotilla took part in exercises north of the Shetland Islands under the dreadnought that also involved the majority of the First and Third Battle Squadrons.

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. 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. 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. Despite these measures, the German light cruisers and managed to attack the regular convoy between Norway and Britain two days later, sinking two destroyers, and , and nine merchant ships before returning safely to Germany. The flotilla subsequently took part in a large exercise with other flotillas and fleets of the Grand Fleet, led by the dreadnought battleship , between 22 and 24 November. At the end of the war, Nonsuch was part of the First Destroyer Flotilla based at Portsmouth.

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. The destroyer was transferred to reserve, remaining in Portsmouth. 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. Nonpareil was retired, and, on 9 May 1921, was sold to Ward to be broken up at Briton Ferry.

Pennant numbers Pennant numberDateG37September 1915G53January 1917G54January 1918D0ASeptember 1918F71January 1919

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