Loss
On 12 June 1942, Nestor sailed from Haifa as part of the large escort force for Operation Vigorous; a Malta Convoy consisting of 11 merchant ships carrying food, fuel, and supplies for the besieged island. Air harassment of the convoy began almost immediately after leaving port. During the afternoon of 15 June, the convoy received word that a second convoy (Operation Harpoon) sailing from the west had successfully arrived, and based on the quantity of air attacks and intelligence that an Italian fleet was in the area, it was decided to return the Vigorous convoy to Alexandria.
At around 18:00, while off Crete, an Italian bomber successfully attacked Nestor, killing four sailors and seriously damaging the destroyer's engine rooms. HMS Javelin began to tow Nestor, but by 05:30 on 16 June, the quantity of water taken on by the Australian ship meant that recovery was no longer practical. The ship's company transferred to Javelin, and Nestor was scuttled with depth charges. Nestor was the only major RAN ship to never visit Australia.
Nestor's wartime service was recognised with four battle honours: "Bismarck 1941", "Atlantic 1941", "Malta Convoys 1941–42", and "Indian Ocean 1942". The ship's bell was recovered, and is on display at the museum at HMAS Cerberus.
Read more about this topic: HMAS Nestor (G02)
Famous quotes containing the word loss:
“One writes of scars healed, a loose parallel to the pathology of the skin, but there is no such thing in the life of an individual. There are open wounds, shrunk sometimes to the size of a pin-prick but wounds still. The marks of suffering are more comparable to the loss of a finger, or the sight of an eye. We may not miss them, either, for one minute in a year, but if we should there is nothing to be done about it.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
“No amount of skill on the part of the actress can make up for the loss of youth.”
—Ellen Terry (1847–1928)
“And what greater calamity can fall upon a nation than the loss of worship? Then all things go to decay. Genius leaves the temple to haunt the senate or the market.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)