In southern North Sea, the Harwich Force and the Dover Patrol, both consisting of cruisers and destroyers, maintained control of the eastern approaches to the English Channel and the Thames Estuary and safeguarded British communications with France.

However, the Admiralty had come to appreciate that these intelligence reports had been overstated, thus the next orders could revert to the smaller destroyers of the Modified R class of March 1916, which could be built in large numbers quickly and cheaply.

The resultant design, formulated in February 1917, incorporated some wartime lessons and suggestions from destroyer officers serving with the fleet, thus was identified as a new class.

Following consultations with sea-going officers, several novel features were included, principally to enhance sea-keeping capabilities in rough weather and battle-worthiness in night action.

[note 2] The design had a heavily raked stem and sheer forward, a slight turtleback on the fo'c's'le deck,[4] and a rounded bridge front, intended to deflect waves.

Two single 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes were fitted under the bridge on single rotating mounts port and starboard, intended to be fired directly by the commanding officer with toggle ropes during night actions, and the searchlight was relocated aft, mounted on top of the aft torpedo tubes (this to avoid the bridge officers being blinded by its glare during night actions).

The highest trial speed of the Admiralty S class was 35.837 knots (66.370 km/h; 41.240 mph) recorded by Senator (with 28,076 shaft horsepower (20,936.3 kW), 360.1 rpm) at a displacement of 1,019 tons.

[3] Senator conducted trials in June 1918 to test the feasibility of a flying off platform aft, with the intent of launching an aircraft with the ship proceeding full speed astern; however, the amount of spray rendered this proposal unworkable.

[2] Later (c. 1927–28) both Stronghold and Thanet were fitted with a cordite catapult for launching aircraft from their fo'c's'le (the forward gun was removed);[2] they were used to test the Larynx, an early experimental type of cruise missile.

Their armament was removed (in order to lighten the ship for maximum speed), and a davit installed on the fo'c's'le for recovery of ditched aircraft.

Some had rather obscure names: Sardonyx is a red onyx gemstone; Seabear (incorrectly spelt Sea Bear in some sources) is an archaic term for polar bear; Seafire is a term for marine bioluminescence; Seawolf is an archaic term for various species of voracious fish (such as the wolffish) or marine mammals (such as the elephant seal or sea lion); Sepoy was an infantryman of the Indian army; Seraph is a type of angel; Serapis was an ancient Graeco-Egyptian god; Shikari is an Urdu term for a big game hunter or hunting guide in British India; Simoom (incorrectly spelt Simoon in some sources) is a dry desert wind in the Sahara (there was also an R Class destroyer of this name, sunk on 23 January 1917); Sirdar is a Persian title of nobility used to denote princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats; it was used as the title for the commander of the Anglo-Egyptian Army; Tara was the traditional seat of the High King of Ireland; Tryphon (Τρύφων) is a Greek given name, meaning 'gentle' or 'sweet' (famous historical figures bearing the name include a Seleucid Emperor of the second Century BCE, a Greek grammarian in the first century BCE, and a 3rd Century Christian Saint); Tyrian is a precious type of purple dye used in regal robes in antiquity.

Guardship Cork Harbour 1923 John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, based at Woolston, Southampton, was a shipbuilding firm specializing in construction of destroyers and other fast vessels.

[18] Yarrow & Company, Limited, based at Scotstoun in the west of Glasgow, were another firm specializing in construction of destroyers and similar vessels.

The C-in-C, Admiral David Beatty, concurred; he had only consented to the design on the understanding that they would be employed at Harwich or Dover, while the Grand Fleet got W-class ships with six 21-inch torpedo tubes.

[21] During 1919–20 the S-class destroyers in the Mediterranean participated in the British intervention in southern Russia, giving military aid to the White Russian forces under Generals Denikin and Wrangel.

[22] After the Irish Free State came into being on 6 December 1922, the Royal Navy retained the right to base ships at three Treaty Ports: Berehaven, Queenstown/Cobh and Lough Swilly.

In order to maintain a naval presence in these ports, Seawolf, Scythe and Sesame were commissioned at reduced complement as independent commands in Irish waters during the 1920s.

Scythe had a minor involvement in the Irish Civil War when machine gun fire was directed at her while moored at Spike Island (Queenstown harbour) on 21 March 1924.

Australia Five of the Admiralty S class, Stalwart, Success, Swordsman, Tasmania and Tattoo, along with the leader Anzac, were presented to the Royal Australian Navy in June 1919.

[33] Saladin was severely damaged by air attack on 28 May 1940, while Shikari was the last ship to leave Dunkirk, (at 0340 hrs, 4 June 1940), with enemy troops only 3 miles (4.8 km) away.

Deep load displacement rose to 1385–1400 tons;[13] Their over-loading caused them to roll terribly in rough North Atlantic weather.

Thanet, Thracian, Scout, Tenedos and Stronghold were refitted for service in the Far East as local defense destroyers (Sturdy, Scimitar and Sardonyx were intended to join them in 1939–40, thereby creating a full flotilla).

Thanet and Stronghold were sunk during the fall of the Malay Barrier, January–March 1942, while Scout and Tenedos were assigned to the ABDA Western Striking Force, and escaped to Ceylon in March 1942 following the Japanese invasion of Java.

More than fifty of these useful craft had remained at the end of the First World War, but later had been relegated to the reserve, where, through false economy, the men and money were not available for their upkeep and maintenance.