HMS Nestor, launched on 9 October 1915, was an . She served in the 13th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet and was sunk on 31 May 1916 at the Battle of Jutland

Battle of Jutland

The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...

. The Wreck is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986

Protection of Military Remains Act 1986

The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which provides protection for the wreckage of military aircraft and designated military vessels. The Act provides for two types of protection: protected places and controlled sites. Military aircraft are...

Battle of Jutland

Nestor took part in an attack upon the German battlecruiser squadron commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper

Franz von Hipper

Franz Ritter von Hipper was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy . Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several torpedo boat units and served as watch officer aboard several warships, as well as Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht Hohenzollern...

, which was engaged by the British battlecruiser squadron under Admiral David Beatty

David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty

Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...

 at the start of the battle of Jutland. Twelve destroyers were despatched to approach the line of German battlecruisers and attack with torpedoes. Nestor was lead ship in the attack, followed immediately by . The attack was met part-way to their target by a German destroyer squadron which exchanged fire as the ships passed. The German battlecruisers turned away, so Nestor also turned back towards the British battlecruisers. However, it now became clear the German battlecruisers had altered course to align with the main German High Seas Fleet

High Seas Fleet

The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...

, which was now just visible. Accompanied by and , Nestor approached to 3000 yards of the battleships, receiving increasing fire as more German ships brought guns to bear on the destroyers. Nestor was hit and disabled, requiring Nicator to veer off at the last minute from firing its torpedoes so as to avoid a collision. Nicator then broke off and returned to the British squadron. Nestor and Nomad, both disabled after their attack on the battlecruisers, were left to face the approach of the entire German battle fleet. The two ships fired their remaining torpedoes at the approaching enemy, before inevitably being sunk. Nomad was closest, so was attacked first and sank after a few minutes receiving fire. Her surviving crew were picked up by German ships.

Commander Edward Bingham

Edward Bingham

Rear Admiral The Honourable Edward Barry Stewart Bingham VC, OBE served in the Royal Navy during the First World War and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in engaging the German fleet during the Battle of Jutland.Bingham, the son of Lord Clanmorris, entered the Royal Navy in 1895...

ordered all charts and confidential books to be destroyed, and the ship's boats and rafts to be provided with water and biscuits and to be launched. He then ordered his crew to lay out cables, as if in anticipation of a tow, simply as an exercise to keep them occupied. German ships opened fire when they reached a range of five miles. The last torpedo was launched, but after only two or three minutes fire, the ship was sinking rapidly and was abandoned. Nestor sank at approximately 5.30 pm.