Built by J. Samuel White on the Isle of Wight and launched in 1909, Harpy was initially commissioned the following year into the First Destroyer Flotilla at Portsmouth.

As the First World War approached in 1914, the destroyer was based in Alexandra, Egypt, but was swiftly redeployed to Malta, followed, in 1915, by action in the Dardanelles Campaign.

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

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] Harpy was laid down by J. Samuel White at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight with the yard number 1292 on 23 April 1909, and launched on 27 November.

[22] Shortly afterwards, Harpy was transferred, along with the rest of the class, to the newly-formed Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet.

[26] On 2 August, the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla was involved in the search for the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau in the Mediterranean.

The year saw an intensification of submarine action by the Imperial German Navy in the Mediterranean Sea and an increasing demand on destroyers as escorts.

[38] The destroyers at Buncrana assisted convoys travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to and from the American industrial complex at Hampton Roads and via Sydney, Nova Scotia, arriving and departing ports on the Clyde and Mersey.

[41] After the Armistice that ended the war, the Royal Navy quickly withdrew all pre-war destroyers from active service.

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

[44] Declared superfluous to operational requirements, Harpy was retired, and, on 27 November 1921, sold to Fryer of Sunderland to be broken up.