Laid down as Yard number 387 on 17 March 1909 at the John Brown & Company's shipyard at Clydebank, Beagle was launched on 16 October 1909.

Dublin and her two destroyers were ordered to intercept Goeben and Breslau, and expected to make a night torpedo attack off Zante.

[17][18][19] On 9 August, Beagle and Bulldog joined the 1st Division at Port Vathi on the Island of Ithaca off the west coast of Greece.

[20][21] After coaling the ten destroyers were ordered to establish a patrol line in the Aegean Sea off the Dardanelles thereby blockading the German ships there.

Despite these patrols, the Turkish destroyer Muavenet-i Milliye managed to sneak past Beagle and Bulldog on the northern side of the straits and torpedoed and sunk Goliath before successfully escaping.

[30] On 28 June Beagle, together with the destroyers Bulldog, Racoon and Basilisk escorted the cruiser Talbot as she provided naval gun support to the advancing British and Indian troops during the Battle of Gully Ravine.

[31] The British made another attempt to break the stalemate at Gallipoli on 6–7 August 1915, with the Landing at Suvla Bay, to the north of Anzac Cove.

This time, instead of row-boats, armoured shallow-draught self-propelled landing craft known as "Beetles" were used, which were towed close to shore by destroyers.

HMS Racoon rescued the French pilot and observer then towed the aircraft to Kephelo Air Base on Imbros.

She was recalled to home waters and assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla now based at Buncrana, near Lough Swilly in the north of Ireland in October 1917.

[38][39] Equipped with depth charges she was employed for anti-submarine patrols and as a convoy escort for the North West Approaches to the British Isles for the remainder of the war.