Grenville displaced 1455LT at standard load and 2053LT at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 330feet, a beam of 34feet and a draught of 12feet. She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines, driving two shafts, which developed a total of 38000shp and gave a maximum speed of 36kn. Steam for the turbines was provided by three Yarrow side-fired, water-tube boilers. Grenville carried a maximum of 470LT of fuel oil that gave her a range of 5530nmi at . The ship's complement was 175 officers and men.[1]
The ship mounted five 45-calibre 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, Grenville had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun. She was fitted with two above-water quadruple torpedo tube mounts for 21inches torpedoes.[1] One depth charge rail and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.[2]
Ordered in 1934, the ship was laid down by the Yarrow Shipbuilding Company at Scotstoun in Glasgow on 29 September 1934, launched on 15 August 1935, and completed on 1 July 1936. Excluding government-furnished equipment like the armament, the ship cost £275,412.[3] Aside from a brief period when she was assigned to the 20th Destroyer Flotilla after her commissioning, Grenville spent the prewar period as the flagship of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla with the Mediterranean Fleet. She spent ten months deployed off the Spanish coast in the Western Mediterranean during the Spanish Civil War before returning to Portsmouth for a brief overhaul between 24 May and 9 June 1937. The ship returned to the Mediterranean until she was given a more thorough refit in Portsmouth between 7 June and 25 July 1938.[4]
On the outbreak of war in September 1939, Grenville was deployed in the Mediterranean. On 22 October, Grenville and her sisters, and were transferred to the Western Approaches Command and arrived at Plymouth on 2 November. Grenville and Grenade collided during the night of 7/8 November and Grenvilles No. 3 boiler room was flooded. She was under repair at HM Dockyard, Devonport until 1 December. While the ship was under repair, her flotilla had been transferred to the Nore Command at Harwich for local patrol and escort work. Grenville rejoined them the on 3 December and participated in several attempts to intercept enemy shipping traffic off the Dutch and German North Sea coasts.[5] Whilst returning from one of these missions on 19 January Grenville struck a mine[6] east of Kentish Knock Light Vessel. Seventy-seven of the ship's company were killed as the ship sank.[5]