The Thornycroft type[1] or Shakespeare-class[2][3] leaders, were like the similar and contemporary Admiralty type (also known as the Scott-class)[4][5] were designed to meet a requirement from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, commander of the Grand Fleet, for a large, fast and heavily armed flotilla leader to match and outclass rumoured large German destroyers.

[7][nb 1] The ship's machinery consisted of four Yarrow boilers that fed steam at 250 pounds per square inch (1,700 kPa) to two sets of Brown-Curtis single-reduction geared-steam turbines, rated at 40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000 kW).

[10][11] Up to 500 tons of oil fuel could be carried, giving a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[11] After commissioning, Shakespeare had defects repaired at Portsmouth before joining the 10th Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Harwich Force on 14 November 1917.

Shakespeare, together with the cruiser Cleopatra and the destroyers Scout and Walker set off to intercept the Bolshevik forces, which withdrew behind minefields and the protection of shore batteries.

Shakespeare was one of the British ships that responded to the alarm, and on arrival at Scapa, attempted to take the German cruiser Emden under tow.

[20][21] Shakespeare was again deployed to the Baltic from 12 August 1919,[11] where the British forces were supporting an Estonian offensive against Saint Petersburg.

On 27 October, Shakespeare took part in a bombardment of the Bolshevik-held Krasnaya Gorka fort, together with the monitor Erebus, the cruisers Delhi and Dunedin, the leaders Mackay and Spenser and four destroyers.

In fact, however, the resources (both manpower and financial) allocated to the uptake of reserve destroyers was inadequate, and their condition deteriorated, so that most of them never returned to active service.