She was launched on 23 December 1912 from the Wallsend yard of Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson and joined the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla.

[1] From the beginning of the First World War, Spitfire and her flotilla were attached to the Grand Fleet.

[1] Amongst the small engagements which happened during the night of 31 May – 1 June 1916 during the Battle of Jutland was one between Spitfire and the German battleship Nassau.

Spitfire evaded an attempt by Nassau to ram her, but the two ships nevertheless collided and Spitfire was seriously damaged, blast from Nassau's guns demolishing much of her upperworks, but she ripped off a 20 feet (6.1 m) section of the German ship's side plating.

[2] Spitfire helped in the rescue of survivors from the hospital/evacuation ship Rhodesia (formerly the Union Castle liner Galway Castle) which was torpedoed 160 miles off Fastnet by the German submarine U-82 on 12 September 1918.