HMS Nemesis (1910)

The 20 destroyers of the Acorn class were ordered by the Admiralty under the 1909–1910 Naval Programme on 8 September 1909. Nemesis was laid down at the Dumbarton shipyard of R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company on 26 November with yard number 434, launched on 9 August 1910 and completed in 7 March 1911.^[12][13] There had been a 13 week stoppage during the construction due to labour troubles.^[14] The ship was the fourth in Royal Navy service to be given the name.^[15] On commissioning, the vessel joined the Second Destroyer Flotilla.^[13][16]

After the British Empire declared war on Germany at the beginning of the First World War in August 1914, the Second Flotilla became part of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow.^[17] On 16 October, while patrolling in the Pentland Firth, the destroyer was attacked by the German submarine U-9.^[18] The torpedo missed, crossing 200 yd (180 metres) in front of the destroyer, although the submarine escaped before Nemesis could launch a depth charge attack.^[19] On 16 March 1915, the destroyer was damaged in a collision with sister ship Nymphe during an exercise off the coast of Scotland.^[20] On 6 May, the vessel was again damaged in a collision, this time while escorting the minelayer Orvieto, but was soon back in service.^[20] Between 13 and 15 October, the Second Destroyer Flotilla escorted the battleships of the Grand Fleet in a practice cruise.^[21] The destroyer was subsequently deployed to Devonport to undertake more extensive escort duties, protecting merchant ships against German submarines, remaining there until December 1916.^[7][22][23]

At the start of 1917, Nemesis was assigned to the British Adriatic Squadron as part of the Mediterranean Fleet.^[24] The destroyer continued to act as an escort. On 26 May, the destroyer, along with sister ship Cameleon, was escorting the hospital ships Dover Castle and Karapara between Malta and Gibraltar when the flotilla was attacked by the German submarine UC-67. Dover Castle was torpedoed and sank. Protected by smoke screen sent up by Nemesis, Karapara escaped to Annaba (Bône). The submarine also escaped unharmed.^[25] Soon afterwards, the destroyer was transferred, along with sister ship Minstrel, to the Imperial Japanese Navy to serve as an escort operated by a Japanese crew.^[26] Nemesis was renamed Kanran and served with the 11th Japanese Destroyer Division with a Japanese crew, although remaining under the command of the British Admiralty.^[27][28] The vessel continued to successfully escort ships in the Mediterranean Sea, with shipping departing Gibraltar now forming convoys to offer greater protection.^[29] The Japanese vessels were particularly called upon to escort troop ships, a role in which they proved particularly adept.^[30]

After the Armistice, the vessel was no longer needed for Japanese service and so was returned to the Royal Navy on 17 January 1919.^[27] However, as the navy returned to a peacetime level of strength, there was no longer the need for a large number of ships and personnel and these needed to be reduced to save money.^[31] Nemesis joined 48 other destroyers in reserve at Devonport.^[32] The vessel was sold to the British Legion on 26 November 1921 to be broken up.^[15]