The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn (31 mph; 50 km/h) and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes.

As the First World War approached, the destroyer was based in Alexandria, Egypt, but was swiftly redeployed to Malta, followed, in 1915, by action in the Dardanelles Campaign.

[1][2] The bridge was larger and higher than previous designs and the vessels were coal-burning after concerns had been raised about the availability of fuel oil in time of war.

Up to 226 long tons (230 t) of coal was carried, giving a design range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[17] Basilisk was laid down by J. Samuel White at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight with the yard number 1293 on 11 May 1909, and launched on 9 February the following year.

[27] On 6 August 1914, the Second Division was deployed searching for the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau but this was curtailed by a lack of fuel.

[30] In preparation for the assault, the Admiralty decided to attack the defences on the Dardanelles strait with the pre-dreadnought battleships Albion, Majestic and Triumph.

On 26 February 1915, Basilisk, alongside Racoon, escorted the battleships Cornwallis, Irresistible and Vengeance as they attempted to land parties to attack the batteries.

[34] On the night of 1/2 March, along with sister ships Grasshopper, Mosquito and Racoon, the destroyer escorted trawlers attempting to clear the minefields.

[43] The need for destroyer escorts increased dramatically as the Imperial German Navy introduced unrestricted submarine warfare.

[47] After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, the Royal Navy quickly withdrew all pre-war destroyers from active service.

[49] As the force returned to a peacetime level of strength, both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money.