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HMAS Norman (G49)
Encyclopedia
HMAS Norman (G49/D16) was an N class operated by the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN) during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Entering service in 1941, the ship was on loan from the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
Early in her career, Norman participated in Operation Vigorous
Operation Vigorous
Operation Vigorous was a World War II Allied operation to deliver a supply convoy that sailed from Haifa and Port Said on 12 June 1942 to Malta. The convoy encountered heavy Axis air and sea opposition and returned to Alexandria on 16 June....
and the Madagascar Campaign, but spent most of the time between 1942 and the start of 1945 on uneventful patrols of the Indian Ocean. In January 1945, the destroyer was involved in the Burma Campaign
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
, before being transferred from the British Eastern Fleet
British Eastern Fleet
The British Eastern Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed from 1941 to 1971...
to the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
. During April and May, Norman was involved in the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
, but then spent the rest of World War II as the duty destroyer at Manus Island.
Norman was returned to the Royal Navy in October 1945. The ship was not reactivated, and was broken up for scrap
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
in 1958.
Design and construction
The N class destroyer had a displacementDisplacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
of 1,773 tons at standard load, and 2,550 tons at full load. Norman was 356 in 6 in (108.66 m) long overall and 229 in 6 in (69.95 m) long between perpendiculars, had a beam of 35 in 8 in (10.87 m), and a maximum draught of 16 in 4 in (4.98 m). 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. Norman was capable of reaching 36 knots (19.6 m/s). The ship's company consisted of 249 officers and sailors at the time she was sunk.
The ship's armament consisted of six 4.7-inch QF Mark XII guns
4.7 inch QF Mark XII
The 4.7 inch QF Mark IX and Mark XII were 120-mm 45-calibre naval guns which armed the majority of Royal Navy and Commonwealth destroyers in World War II, and were exported to many countries after World War II as the destroyers they were mounted on were sold off.-Description and history:These guns...
in three twin mounts, a single 4-inch QF Mark V gun
QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun
The QF 4 inch Mk V gun was a Royal Navy gun of World War I which was adapted on HA mountings to the heavy anti-aircraft role both at sea and on land, and was also used as a coast defence gun.-Naval service:...
, a 2-pounder 4-barrel Pom Pom
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
, four 0.5-inch machine guns, four 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, four .303 Lewis machine guns
Lewis Gun
The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...
, two Pentad torpedo launcher tube sets (with 10 torpedoes carried), two depth-charge throwers and one depth-charge chute (with 45 charges carried). The 4-inch gun was removed later in Nestors career.
The destroyer was laid down by John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
at Southampton, England on 27 July 1939. She was launched on 30 October 1940. Norman was commissioned into the RAN on 15 September 1941; although operated as an Australian warship, the vessel remained the property of the Royal Navy. The ship takes her name from the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, with her ship's badge depicting a Norman warrior' helmet. She was the only N class destroyer to be given a motto: "Cedere Nescio" or "I Know Not How To Yield". Construction cost 402,939 pounds.
Operational history
The destroyer's first mission after completing sea trialSea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s in October 1941 was to deliver a British trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
delegation from Iceland to Russia. Norman then spent ome time as an escort ship, then sailed to Southampton for minor modifications. At the start of 1942, the destroyer was assigned to the British Eastern Fleet
British Eastern Fleet
The British Eastern Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed from 1941 to 1971...
. From January until May, Norman served as a convoy escort in the Indian Ocean, before being recalled to participate in the convoy escort screen for Operation Vigorous
Operation Vigorous
Operation Vigorous was a World War II Allied operation to deliver a supply convoy that sailed from Haifa and Port Said on 12 June 1942 to Malta. The convoy encountered heavy Axis air and sea opposition and returned to Alexandria on 16 June....
, one of two major convoys attempting to supply the island of Malta. After this, she returned to the Indian Ocean, and during September was involved in the Madagascar Campaign. The destroyer spent the remainder of 1942, all of 1943, and the early part of 1944 on uneventful patrols of the Indian Ocean. In late March 1944, Norman sailed to Sydney for a two-month long refit. This concluded in late June, and Norman returned to the Eastern Fleet.
In January 1945, Nestor became involved in the campaign to free Burma from the Japanese
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
. On 21 January, the ship helped land Indian troops on Ramree Island
Ramree Island
Ramree Island is an island off the coast of Rakhine State, Burma. The area of the island is about 1350 km². The Battle of Ramree Island took place here for six weeks during January and February 1945, as part of the British Fourteenth Army 1944/45 offensive on the Southern Front of the Burma...
as part of Operation Matador
Operation Matador (1945)
Operation Matador was an amphibious thrust, during the Burma Campaign in January 1945, to capture the strategic port of Kyaukpyu, located at the northern tip of Ramree Island, south of Akyab across Hunter's Bay, as well as the key airfield near the port...
, then bombarded Cheduba Island
Cheduba Island
Cheduba Island is an island in the Bay of Bengal close to Ramree Island belonging to Burma. It has an area of approximately 523 km² and a population 63,761 as of 1983 which is composed chiefly of Burmans and Arakanese peoples.-History:...
five days later prior to the landing of Royal Marines. On 1 March, the ship sailed to Australia to join the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
. As part of the Pacific Fleet, Norman was involved in the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
during April and May, but left before the operation's conclusion to escort the collison-damaged destroyer as she was towed to Leyte for repairs. After delivering her charge, Norman joined the United States Fifth Fleet for a short period, then sailed for Australia, arriving in Sydney on 6 June. The destroyer returned to service in early July, and was assigned to Manus Island as the general duty destroyer until the end of World War II. After the war's end, Norman sailed to Japan, but did not arrive to participate in the Japanese surrender
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
.
The destroyer's wartime service was recognised with the battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s "Indian Ocean 1942–44", "East Indies 1944", "Burma 1944–45", and "Okinawa 1945".
Decommissioning and fate
Norman returned to Sydney in October 1945, and was decommissioned and returned to the Royal Navy in exchange for the Q class destroyer HMS QueenboroughHMAS Queenborough (G30)
HMAS Queenborough was a Q class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy ....
. Norman was not reactivated; instead, she was sold off in 1955, and in 1958 was broken up for scrap
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
.