HMS Sylvia was a Doxford three funnel - 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates.

In March 1900 she was commissioned by Lieutenant William Bowden-Smith and the crew of HMS Chamois to take her place in the Instructional Flotilla.

[8] On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'.

After 30 September 1913, she was known as a C class destroyer and had the letter C painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.

[10] NOTE: All tabular data under General Characteristics only from the listed Jane's Fighting Ships volume unless otherwise specified