Intended as a shore bombardment vessel, M28's primary armament was a single 9.2 inch Mk VI gun removed from the Edgar-class cruiser HMS Grafton.

She was equipped with a four-shaft Bolinder four-cylinder semi-diesel engine with 640 horsepower that allowed a top speed of eleven knots.

HMS M28 was laid down at the Sir Raylton Dixon & Co. Ltd shipyard at Middlesbrough on 1 March 1915.

During most of her service in the First World War M28 was attached to the Aegean Squadron and tasked with coastal bombardment of Turkish positions.

As a result of the battle M28 was sunk and suffered 11 of her crew killed while the rest were rescued by Allied vessels.