HMS Veteran was an Admiralty modified W-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy.

[1] HMS Veteran's keel was laid on 30 August 1918 at the James Brown & Company Shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland.

As with most elderly destroyers allocated to escort duties, the after bank of torpedo tubes was removed and replaced with a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun.

[1] In December, upon completion of post refit trials, HMS Veteran joined the 18th Destroyer Flotilla based at Plymouth in the Western Approaches Command for Channel escort and anti-submarine patrols.

[3] In April HMS Veteran was transferred to Scapa Flow after the German invasion of Norway.

She escorted convoys for the Norwegian Campaign, including the withdrawal, until damaged in a collision with the mercantile Ngkoa on 29 May.

[1] Upon release from the Home Fleet HMS Veteran was transferred to Harwich for convoy defence in the North Sea.

At this time she had her weaponry upgraded with the fitting of 20mm Oerlikon cannons for short range anti-air defence.

[1] At the end of September, HMS Veteran was transferred to the Western Approaches Command and based out of Londonderry for Atlantic convoy defence.

She escorted several convoys outbound and inbound until involved in a collision with HMS Verity in January 1941.

[1] By March with her workups following conversion complete she was detached for service off the East Coast of the US and Canada.

On 26 September the convoy was ordered to reform and HMS Veteran came across the survivors of SS New York.