She was built under the 1910-11 shipbuilding programme by William Beardmore & Company of Dalmuir[1] and was launched on 18 October 1911.[2] She was built to the standard Admiralty I-class design,[3] with three Parsons steam turbines driving three shafts. Developing about 13500HP, she was capable of 27kn.
| Pennant Number[4] | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| H45 | 6 December 1914 | 1 January 1918 | |
| H37 | 1 January 1918 | Early 1919 | |
| H59 | Early 1919 | 4 November 1921 |
On 16 August 1914, within days of the outbreak of war, the First Destroyer Flotilla engaged an enemy cruiser off the mouth of the Elbe, which is reported with great verve by an author writing under the pseudonym "Clinker Knocker" in 1938:
Goshawk took part on the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914, and in Commodore Tyrwhitt's despatch, her captain was singled out for praise:
On 24 January 1915, the First Destroyer Flotilla, including Goshawk, were present at the Battle of Dogger Bank, led by the light cruiser Aurora.[5]
Early in 1915, the First Destroyer Flotilla was reassigned as a submarine screen for the Grand Fleet's battlecruisers. They moved from Harwich to the Firth of Forth on 17 March 1915.
Goshawk was present at the Battle of Jutland with the First Destroyer Flotilla, and her captain, Commander Dashwood Fowler Moir RN, was mentioned in despatches.[6]
Goshawk was present at the entry of the Allied Fleet through the Dardanelles on 12 November 1918.[7] The Fleet sighted the minarets of Constantinople at 07:00 on 13 November and anchored an hour later. The destroyers maintained an anti-submarine patrol to the west of the anchored fleet.[7]
In common with most of her class, she was laid up after World War I, and on 4 November 1921 she was sold to Rees of Llanelly for breaking.