See main article: S-class destroyer (1917). Tasmania was built to the Admiralty design of the S-class destroyer, which was designed and built as part of the British emergency war programme.[1] The destroyer had a displacement of 1,075 tons, a length overall of 276feet, and a beam of 26feet.[2] The propulsion machinery consisted of three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtis turbines, which supplied to the ship's two propeller shafts.[3] Although designed with a maximum speed of, Tasmania was only able to achieve on power trails.[2] The destroyer's economical speed of gave her a range of .[1] The ship's company was made up of 6 officers and 93 sailors.[3]
The destroyer's primary armament consisted of three QF 4-inch Mark IV guns.[2] These were supplemented by a 2-pounder pom-pom, two 9.5-inch howitzer bomb throwers, five .303 inch machine guns (a mix of Lewis and Maxim guns), two twin 21-inch torpedo tube sets, two depth charge throwers, and two depth charge chutes.[2]
Tasmania was laid down by William Beardmore and Company, Limited, at Dalmuir in Scotland on 18 December 1917.[2] The destroyer was launched on 22 November 1918, and completed on 22 January 1919. The ship was commissioned into the Royal Navy in January 1919, but was not made operational, and was marked for transfer to the RAN, along with four sister ships.[3] Tasmania was commissioned into the RAN on 27 January 1920.[3]
Tasmania and three of her sister ships sailed for Australia on 20 February, visiting ports in the Mediterranean, India, Singapore, and the Netherlands East Indies before reaching Sydney on 29 April.[4] Tasmania was primarily used for training, and apart from a visit to New Guinea in 1924, remained in Australian waters.[3]
Tasmania paid off into reserve on 9 January 1928.[3] She was sold to Penguins Limited for ship breaking on 4 June 1937.[3]