# HMS Nicator

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**HMS *Nicator*** was an [Admiralty M-class destroyer](/source/Admiralty_M-class_destroyer) which served with the [Royal Navy during the First World War](/source/Royal_Navy_during_the_First_World_War). The M class was an improvement on the preceding [L-class destroyer](/source/L-class_destroyer), capable of higher speed. [Launched](/source/Ceremonial_ship_launching) in February 1916, the destroyer fought in the [Battle of Jutland](/source/Battle_of_Jutland) between May and June 1916, operating in support of the British [battlecruisers](/source/Battlecruiser) in their action against the German [High Seas Fleet](/source/High_Seas_Fleet). *Nicator* claimed, along with [sister ship](/source/Sister_ship) [HMS *Nestor*](/source/HMS_Nestor_(1915)), the destruction of a German [torpedo boat](/source/Torpedo_boat), likely to be [SMS *V27*](/source/SMS_V27). The destroyer also attacked the German battlecruisers and [battleships](/source/Dreadnought_battleship) and, although no hits were recorded, kept the German ships from closing with the British. This was crucial to limiting losses to the British battlecruiser fleet. The vessel was subsequently fitted with [paravanes](/source/Paravane_(weapon)) for [anti-submarine warfare](/source/Anti-submarine_warfare). After the war, the destroyer was placed in [reserve](/source/Reserve_Fleet_(United_Kingdom)) and subsequently sold to be [broken up](/source/Ship_breaking) in May 1921.

## Design and development

*Nicator* was one of sixteen [Admiralty M-class destroyers](/source/Admiralty_M-class_destroyer) ordered by the [British Admiralty](/source/British_Admiralty) in February 1915 as part of the Fourth War Construction Programme during the [First World War](/source/First_World_War).[1] The M class was an improved version of the earlier [L-class destroyer (1913)](/source/L-class_destroyer_(1913)) destroyers, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph), and although the eventual design did not achieve this, the greater performance of the M class was appreciated by the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy). It transpired that the German ships did not exist.[2]

The destroyer was 265 feet (80.77 m) [long between perpendiculars](/source/Length_between_perpendiculars), with a [beam](/source/Beam_(nautical)) of 26 feet 9 inches (8.15 m) and a [draught](/source/Draft_(hull)) of 9 feet 3 inches (2.82 m). [Displacement](/source/Displacement_(ship)) was 994 long tons (1,010 t) [normal](/source/Normal_displacement) and 1,025 long tons (1,041 t) [full load](/source/Full_load).[3] Power was provided by three [Yarrow boilers](/source/Yarrow_boiler) feeding [Parsons](/source/Parsons_Marine_Steam_Turbine_Company) [steam turbines](/source/Steam_turbine) rated at 25,000 horsepower (19,000 kW) and driving three [shafts](/source/Propeller), to give a design speed of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph). Three [funnels](/source/Funnel_(ship)) were fitted.[4] A fuel load of 268 long tons (272 t) of [oil](/source/Fuel_oil) was carried, including 40 long tons (41 t) in peace tanks that were not used in wartime, giving a design range of 2,280 nautical miles (4,220 km; 2,620 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph).[5]

Armament consisted of three single [QF 4-inch (100-millimetre) Mk IV](/source/QF_4_inch_naval_gun_Mk_IV,_XII,_XXII) guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the [forecastle](/source/Forecastle), one [aft](/source/Aft) on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels.[6] Two single [QF 2-pounder 40 mm (2 in) "pom-pom"](/source/QF_2-pounder_naval_gun) [anti-aircraft](/source/Anti-aircraft_warfare) guns were carried, while torpedo armament consisted of two twin rotating mounts for [21 in (533 mm) torpedoes](/source/British_21_inch_torpedo).[3] *Nicator* was equipped with two [depth charge](/source/Depth_charge) chutes aft, the number of depth charges carried increasing during the duration of the war.[7] The ship had a [complement](/source/Ship's_company) of 80 officers and [ratings](/source/Naval_rating).[6]

## Construction and career

*Nicator* was [laid down](/source/Keel_laying) by [William Denny and Brothers](/source/William_Denny_and_Brothers) of [Dumbarton](/source/Dumbarton) on 21 April 1915 with the [yard number](/source/Yard_number) 1047. Construction cost £149,730.[3] [Launched](/source/Ceremonial_ship_launching) on 3 February 1916 and completed on 15 April, the ship was the first in the Royal Navy to be named after [Seleucus I Nicator](/source/Seleucus_I_Nicator), one of the [Diadochi](/source/Diadochi) of [Alexander the Great](/source/Alexander_the_Great) and the founder of the [Seleucid dynasty](/source/Seleucid_dynasty).[4][8][9] The vessel was deployed as part of the [Grand Fleet](/source/Grand_Fleet), joining the [Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla](/source/13th_Destroyer_Flotilla).[10] Soon after entering service, the destroyer formed part of the escort to troops sent to Dublin on 25 April to put down the [Easter Rising](/source/Easter_Rising).[11]

Between 31 May and 1 June 1916, *Nicator* sailed as part of the flotilla, led by the [flotilla cruiser](/source/Flotilla_leader) [HMS *Champion*](/source/HMS_Champion_(1915)), to confront the German [High Seas Fleet](/source/High_Seas_Fleet) in the [Battle of Jutland](/source/Battle_of_Jutland).[12] The flotilla was part of the destroyer screen for the British [battlecruisers](/source/Battlecruiser) as they confronted their German equivalents.[13] As the two fleets converged, *Nicator* and [sister ship](/source/Sister_ship) [HMS *Nestor*](/source/HMS_Nestor_(1915)) attacked the German [torpedo boats](/source/Torpedo_boat) and claimed to sink one. [SMS *V27*](/source/SMS_V27), which was stricken by gunfire, is likely to be their victim.[14]

Following the destruction of [HMS *Queen Mary*](/source/HMS_Queen_Mary), the flotilla, reinforced by members of the [Ninth Destroyer Flotilla](/source/9th_Destroyer_Flotilla) and [HMS *Moorsom*](/source/HMS_Moorsom_(1914)) and [HMS *Morris*](/source/HMS_Morris) of the [Tenth](/source/10th_Destroyer_Flotilla), sped to attack the German fleet. The destroyers engaged with the German destroyer screen and a fierce battle ensued.[15] *Nicator* was one of only two from the flotilla, along with *Nestor*, that managed to break through to reach the German line. They first encountered the battlecruiser [SMS *Lützow*](/source/SMS_L%C3%BCtzow), which turned away to avoid their attack.[16] The destroyer then launched a torpedo at the German battlecruiser [SMS *Derfflinger*](/source/SMS_Derfflinger), which missed.[17] Another torpedo got stuck in its tube and failed to fire.[18] Although the attack did not record any hits, it did force the German warships to manoeuvre away and so enabled the British battlecruiser fleet, which had already lost two of their number, to escape without further harm.[19]

As *Nestor* and *Nicator* turned away from the German battlecruisers, the [battleships](/source/Battleship) of the High Seas Fleet appeared on the horizon. *Nicator* fired one more shell at the retreating German ships and retired.[20] The destroyers then joined with a larger flotilla of twelve destroyers which was stationed to the east of the Grand Fleet.[21] As the battlefleets manoeuvred around each other, *Nicator* attempted to attack the German battleships with gunfire but without success.[22] As the battle drew to a close, the destroyer avoided a torpedo launched by the [submarine](/source/U-boat) , which also escaped, before retiring to [Rosyth](/source/Rosyth) low on fuel.[23]

During early 1917, *Nicator* was equipped with [anti-submarine](/source/Anti-submarine_warfare) [paravanes](/source/Paravane_(weapon)) and on 16 and 17 April, the ship was one of six used for patrols of [Dogger Bank](/source/Dogger_Bank) known as high speed sweeps, although no submarines were found during the operation.[24] The Admiralty identified that the patrols were not as successful at detecting and destroying submarines as they needed and focused instead on the more effective [convoy](/source/Convoys_in_World_War_I) model.[25] The vessel was transferred to [Buncrana](/source/Buncrana) with the [Second Destroyer Flotilla](/source/2nd_Destroyer_Flotilla) and served there for the last year of the war.[26] The Buncrana-based destroyers were employed on convoy escort, rendezvousing with trans-[Atlantic](/source/Atlantic_Ocean) convoys inbound from the [Hampton Roads](/source/Hampton_Roads), and [Sydney, Nova Scotia](/source/Sydney,_Nova_Scotia) and escorting them to ports on the [Clyde](/source/River_Clyde) and [Mersey](/source/River_Mersey) and escorting outbound Atlantic convoys until they dispersed.[27]

After the [armistice](/source/Armistice_of_11_November_1918), *Nicator* was transferred to [Portsmouth](/source/HMNB_Portsmouth).[28] This was a temporary post and during the following year, the destroyer was moved to the local defence flotilla at [Portland](/source/Isle_of_Portland).[29] As the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength, both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money.[30] In addition, the harsh conditions of wartime service, particularly the combination of high speed and the poor weather that is typical of the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea), exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not [galvanised](/source/Galvanization), meant that the destroyer was in need of repair to remain in service.[31] On 9 May 1921, the destroyer was decommissioned and sold to [Thos. W. Ward](/source/Thos._W._Ward) of [Milford Haven](/source/Milford_Haven) to be [broken up](/source/Ship_breaking).[32]

## Pennant numbers

Pennant number Date G55 September 1915[33] F05 January 1917[34] HA4 January 1918[33] G01 January 1919[35]

## References

### Citations

1. McBride 1991, p. 34.

1. Friedman 2009, p. 132.

1. Lyon 1975, p. 702.

1. Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 109.

1. Friedman 2009, p. 157.

1. Preston 1985, p. 79.

1. Friedman 2009, pp. 150, 152.

1. Manning & Walker 1959, p. 315.

1. Jurkiewicz 2016, p. 67.

1. ["Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet"](https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92051270). *Supplement to the Monthly Navy List*. April 1916. Retrieved 2 June 2021.

1. Naval Staff Monograph No. 31 1926, p. 128.

1. Corbett 1923, p. 455.

1. Corbett 1923, p. 337.

1. Brooks 2016, p. 211.

1. Corbett 1923, pp. 337–338.

1. Corbett 1923, p. 339.

1. Campbell 1998, p. 56.

1. Brooks 2016, p. 212.

1. Green 2007, p. 72.

1. Corbett 1923, p. 342.

1. Corbett 1923, p. 396.

1. Corbett 1923, pp. 404–405.

1. Brooks 2016, p. 428.

1. Naval Staff Monograph No. 34 1933, p. 91.

1. Newbolt 1928, p. 383.

1. ["VII. Coast of Ireland Station"](https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92232190), *Supplement to the Monthly Navy List*, January 1918, p. 17, retrieved 2 June 2021, – via National Library of Scotland

1. Newbolt 1931, pp. 335–336.

1. ["XI. Vessels at Home Ports Temporarily"](https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92371014), *Supplement to the Monthly Navy List*, January 1919, pp. 19–20, retrieved 2 June 2021, – via National Library of Scotland

1. ["III. Local Defence and Training Establishments"](https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92552930), *The Navy List*, October 1919, pp. 704–705, retrieved 2 June 2021, – via National Library of Scotland

1. Moretz 2002, p. 79.

1. Preston 1985, p. 80.

1. Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 244.

1. Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 66.

1. Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 45.

1. Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 61.

### Bibliography

- Brooks, John (2016). *The Battle of Jutland*. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-10715-014-0.
- Bush, Steve & Warlow, Ben (2021). *Pendant Numbers of the Royal Navy: A Complete History of the Allocation of Pendant Numbers to Royal Navy Warships & Auxiliaries*. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-52679-378-2.
- Campbell, John (1998). *Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting*. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-750-4.
- Colledge, J.J. & Warlow, Ben (2006). *Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy*. London: Chatham Press. ISBN 978-1-93514-907-1.
- Corbett, Julian S. (1923). [*Naval Operations: Volume III*](https://archive.org/details/navaloperations03corb/). History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. [OCLC 1049894619](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1049894619)
- Dittmar, F.J. & Colledge, J.J. (1972). *British Warships 1914–1919*. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-71100-380-4.
- Friedman, Norman (2009). *British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War*. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
- Green, Geoffrey (2007). "England Expects...: British Jews Under the White Ensign from HMS *Victory* to the Loss of HMS *Hood* in 1941". *Jewish Historical Studies*. **41**: 63–97.
- Jurkiewicz, Alicja (2016). "The Second Syrian War in the Light of Numismatic Evidence". *The Land of Fertility I: South-east Mediterranean since the Bronze Age to the Muslim Conquest*. Kajzer, Małgorzata; Miszk, Łukasz; Wacławik, Maciej (eds.). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 67–74. ISBN 978-1-44388-868-4.
- Lyon, David John (1975). *The Denny List: Ship Numbers 769-1273*. London: National Maritime Museum. [OCLC 256517657](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/256517657)
- Manning, Thomas Davys & Walker, Charles Frederick (1959). *British Warship Names*. London: Putnam. [OCLC 780274698](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/780274698)
- 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](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/164893555)
- McBride, Keith (1991). "British 'M' Class Destroyers of 1913–14". *Warship 1991*. Gardiner, Robert (ed.). London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 34–49. ISBN 978-0-85177-582-1.
- *Monograph No. 31: Home Waters Part VI: October 1915 to April 1916*. Vol. XV. Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1926.
- *Monograph No. 34: Home Waters Part VIII: December 1916 to April 1917*. Vol. XVIII. Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1933.
- Moretz, Joseph (2002). *The Royal Navy and the Capital Ship in the Interwar Period*. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-71465-196-5.
- Newbolt, Henry (1928). [*Naval Operations: Volume IV*](https://archive.org/details/navaloperations04corb). History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. [OCLC 1049894132](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1049894132)
- Newbolt, Henry (1931). [*Naval Operations: Volume V*](https://archive.org/details/navaloperations0000corb). History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. [OCLC 220475309](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/220475309)
- Parkes, Oscar & Prendergast, Maurice (1969). *Jane's Fighting Ships 1919*. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. [OCLC 907574860](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/907574860)
- Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". *Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921*. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [HMS Nicator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Nicator) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Nicator?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.