The ship was converted into an anti-aircraft escort destroyer during the Second World War and was badly damaged during the Dunkirk evacuation.

The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 4,150 nautical miles (7,690 km; 4,780 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[4] Wolfhound, the first ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,[5] was ordered on 9 December 1916 as part of the Tenth War Programme from Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company.

Among her operations included providing training, supply, and bombardment support for the Estonian and Latvian provisional governments throughout the fall and winter of 1918.

[11] After the Second World War began in September 1939 she was one of the old V and W class ships to be selected to be converted to an anti-aircraft ("Wair") escort destroyer,[12] As the Allied forces retreated, Wolfhound was one of the ships detached to support the evacuation of troops from France, and on 25 May she and her sister HMS Wolsey bombarded advancing German units near Calais.

The following day Wolfhound ferried a shore party to Dunkirk to coordinate the evacuation; on her return voyage to Dover she loaded 142 troops.