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

Grasshopper was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at their Govan yard, between 1909 and 1910, being launched on 23 November 1909 and completing in July 1910.

[5][9] Grasshopper was laid down at Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company's Govan, Glasgow shipyard as Yard number 464 on 17 April 1909 and was launched on 23 November 1909.

[15] In October 1913, the Beagles, including Grasshopper, were moved to the Mediterranean as the newly formed 5th Destroyer Flotilla.

[18] With war clouds looming on 2 August 1914 the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla was involved in the search for Goeben and Breslau in the Mediterranean.

On 3 August, the 3rd Division of the 5th Flotilla (Beagle, Bulldog, Grasshopper and Harpy) were at Malta and while it was initially planned that they reinforce Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge's squadron patrolling the entrance to the Adriatic, Grasshopper, along with Harpy and Grampus, was ordered to patrol the southern end of the Straits of Messina on 7 October.

On the night of 1/2 March 1915, Grasshopper, along with Basilisk, Mosquito and Racoon escorted trawlers attempting to clear the minefields across the narrows of the Dardanelles straits.

[30] 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.

[31][32] Grasshopper took part in the final evacuations from Gallipoli on 8/9 January 1916, picking up troops from V beach on Cape Helles.

[36] On 5 February 1918, Grasshopper was part of the escort for Convoy HX 20, bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool when the troopship Tuscania was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-77 south west of Islay.