Myngs, the first ship to enter Royal Navy service to be named after Vice-Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs, was launched in 1914. initially serving as part of the Grand Fleet, the vessel was involved in escorting troop ships like RMS Mauretania before being transferred to the Harwich Force in 1915.

Placed within the Dover Patrol, the destroyer continued to operate as an escort, as well as taking part in sorties against German warships.

[1] The M class was an improved version of the earlier L-class, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter the rumoured new German fast destroyers.

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 of the M class was appreciated by the navy.

[4] Myngs was laid down by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company at their yard in Hebburn on 31 December 1913, was launched on 24 September the following year and was completed in March 1915.

In fact, since 10 April 1915, the German navy had decided to no longer send warships into the Strait of Dover and the threats to shipping were substantially reduced.

On 25 April 1916, the flotilla engaged German battlecruisers returning from their bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft, but the destroyer did not record any hits.

[15] On 14 August, the destroyer was to have supported a major minelaying expedition to take place off the Ems, but this was reduced to a much smaller operation and Myngs was no longer required.

Although the operation did not meet the expectations of the Admiralty and the port remained open, the bombardment was achieved without interference by enemy warships or the loss of any British vessels.

At great risk, the crew of Myngs launched a torpedo at the stricken vessel which successfully caused the ship to capsize, extinguishing the flames.

[29] 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 needed to be reduced to save money.

The harsh conditions of wartime operations, particularly the combination of high speed and the poor weather that is typical of the North Sea, exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not galvanised, meant that the ship was worn out.