The Beagle class were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn (31 mph; 50 km/h) and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes.

[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.

[12] 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).

[10][12] Laid down at Harland & Wolff's Glasgow shipyard on 9 April 1909, Rattlesnake was launched on 14 March the following year and completed during August.

[27] Nonetheless, on 2 August 1914, the destroyer escorted a small fleet led by the battlecruiser Inflexible, and including sister ship Savage, as part of the search for Goeben and Breslau.

[28] On 5 August, the vessel accompanied Inflexible''s sister ship Indomitable and Savage on a more successful sortie to Bizerta to coal, rejoining the fleet the following day.

[29] Savage and Rattlesnake were back the following day for more coal, but nonetheless the fuel shortage continued to curtail action by the whole flotilla.

[31] On 10 September, Rattlesnake transported Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge back to England to give an account of their escape.

[35] Submarine action by the Imperial German Navy in the Mediterranean Sea was intensifying, with a commensurate impact on British shipping.

[39] The destroyers at Buncrana assisted convoys travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to and from the American industrial complex at Hampton Roads, sailing via Sydney, Nova Scotia to arrive and depart 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.