HMS Stag (1899)

HMS Stag was a two funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates. She was the sixth ship to carry this name. She was launched in 1899 and was first assigned to the Mediterranean. She served in the North Sea and Irish Sea during World War I, and was sold for breaking in 1921.

Construction
She was laid down as yard number 324 on 16 April 1898 at the John I Thornycroft and Company shipyard at Chiswick on the River Thames. She was launched on 18 November 1899. During her builder’s trials her maximum average speed was 30.5 knots. She proceeded to Portsmouth to have her armament fitted. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in September 1900. During her acceptance trials and work ups her average sea speed was 25 knots.

Pre-War
After commissioning she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet where she remained until 1913. On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. Since her design speed was 30-knots and she had two funnels she was assigned to the D class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as an D-class destroyer and had the letter ‘D’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.

On her return to the UK she was assigned to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness.

World War I
In July of 1914 she was in active commission assigned to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness tendered to the destroyer depot ship HMS Tyne (1878). In August 1914 the 8th was re-deployed to the River Tyne. The 8th was a patrol flotilla tasked with anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols.

On 25 September while on patrol off the Isle of May at the mouth of the Firth of Forth she was missed by two torpedoes fired by an unknown submarine. In November 1917 she was deployed to the Irish Sea Hunting Flotilla until the cessation of hostilities providing anti-submarine and counter-smuggling patrols.

Fate
In 1919 she was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. She was sold on 17 May 1921 to Thomas W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking at Grays, Essex on the Thames Estuary.