Launched in 1919, the destroyer visited the Free City of Danzig the following year but then spent most of the next decade in the Reserve Fleet.

Sturdy was then employed escorting convoys in the Atlantic Ocean, but ran aground off the coast off the Inner Hebrides island at Tiree in 1940.

[4] The vessel carried 301 long tons (306 t) of fuel oil, giving a design range of 2,750 nautical miles (5,093 km; 3,165 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[7] The ship was designed to mount two additional fixed 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes either side of the superstructure but this required the forecastle plating to be cut away, making the vessel very wet, so they were removed.

[10] Commissioned on 8 October 1919, the ship was placed in the Reserve Fleet at Portsmouth under the dreadnought King George V and acted as tender to HMS Columbine, the depot at Port Edgar.

On 1 February, Sturdy and the light cruiser Danae arrived to protect the High Commissioner, Reginald Tower.

[17] For the role, all armament was removed to lighten the ship, and thus maximise speed, and a davit was installed on a forecastle to enable ditched aircraft to be recovered.

[19][20]Sturdy, on 18 May 1935, subsequently hosted the Lord Mayor of London Stephen Killik and, on 16 July, took part in a naval review in front of George V and Queen Mary.

[25][26] At the start of the Second World War, the destroyer served under the command of Lieutenant-commander George Cooper, who had been appointed on 31 July 1939.

[28] On 26 October 1940, Sturdy accompanied sister ship Shikari on an outbound voyage to meet the convoy SC 8 sailing from the United States.

Poor weather meant that the ship lost sight of the other destroyer and on 29 October, the captain decided to head instead to Derry.