Launched in August 1913 as HMS Ulysses, the ship was renamed the following month under an Admiralty order to become one of the first in what would be the norm, a class of destroyers named after successive letters of the alphabet.

During 1915, Lysander undertook anti-submarine patrols and escorting duties, coming under fire from German shore-based batteries while accompanying the mine-laying paddle-steamers Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria off the coast of Ostend.

In 1916, the destroyer was involved in action with German battlecruisers following the bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft but escaped unharmed, and rescued the survivors from the Canadian hospital ship Llandovery Castle in 1918.

[1] 268 long tons (272 t) of oil were carried, giving a design range of 1,720 nautical miles (3,190 km; 1,980 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[7] Built under the 1912–1913 Programme and originally named Ulysses, the ship was laid down by Swan Hunter at Wallsend on the River Tyne on 8 August 1912.

[12] The following day, Lysander was part of the Fourth Division, which included fellow L-class destroyers Laertes, Laurel and Liberty, when the German torpedo boat G194 was sighted.

The cruiser hit all three of the other destroyers, but Lysander avoided both substantial damage by shells and colliding with Liberty by responding quickly to the helm.

[21] On 30 January 1915, Lysander, together with sister ships Laforey, Landrail and Liberty, were detached from the Harwich Force to hunt submarines (in particular U-21) in the Irish Channel.

[22] On 8 April 1915, Lysander and Laertes escorted the paddle-steamers Prince Edward and Queen Victoria as they laid anti-submarine nets off Ostend, with the destroyers coming under fire from German 15 centimetres (5.91 in) shore batteries, although they were unharmed.

Lysander detained one Danish merchant ship, the Cito which was thought to be acting suspiciously, and escorted the steamer to the Humber for further examination.

[37] On 29 June 1918, Lysander found the 24 remaining survivors from the Canadian hospital ship Llandovery Castle which had been sunk by U-27 the previous day; they became critical to a case at the Leipzig War Crimes Trials.

[38][39] After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and personnel in service needed to be reduced to save money.