Originally laid down as HMS Redmill by J. Samuel White at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the vessel was renamed before being launched in 1916.

The ship was allocated to the Grand Fleet and spent much of its service in anti-submarine warfare, either escorting convoys or involved in submarine hunting patrols.

The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and, although the eventual design did not achieve this, the greater performance was appreciated by the navy.

[10] Redmill was laid down by J. Samuel White at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 23 September 1915 with the yard number 1467, and launched on 8 March the folliowing year.

[14] The vessel was deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla based at Scapa Flow.

[22] After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, Medina was transferred to the local defence flotilla at Portsmouth, attached to Fisguard.

[23] However, as the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength, both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money.