Launched in early 1917 and commissioned into the Royal Navy, Anzac led the 14th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet during the First World War.

Except for three visits to New Guinea and one to the Solomon Islands, Anzac remained in southern and eastern Australian waters for her entire career.

The destroyer was decommissioned in 1931, sold for scrapping four years later, stripped for parts, then towed outside Sydney Heads and sunk as a target ship in 1936.

[3] The order to build Anzac was placed with William Denny and Brothers in December 1915, and the ship was laid down at their shipyard in Dumbarton, Scotland on 31 January 1916.

[2] The ship's name is in recognition of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and their service during the early years of the First World War.

[1] On entering service, Anzac was assigned to lead the 14th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet, based at Scapa Flow.

[4] Anzac departed again on 10 March, and arrived in Sydney on 29 April, having visited Gibraltar, Suez, Aden, Bombay, Colombo, Singapore, Surabaya, and Thursday Island en route.