See main article: S-class destroyer. Tobago was one of two destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty from Thornycroft in April 1917 as part of the Eleventh War Construction Programme alongside . The design was based on the destroyer built by the shipyard. Compared to the standard S-class vessels, the design, also known as Modified Rosalind, was longer, with a raised forward gun position and 180NaN0 torpedo tubes moved to a new position, both of which improved seakeeping. They also had provision for triple mounts for the main torpedo tubes. In a similar way to previous designs, Thornycroft also installed more powerful machinery to give the warship a higher top speed. This also enabled a more stable hull design with a greater beam and a metacentric height of 2feet.
With an overall length of 275feet and a length of 266feet between perpendiculars, Tobago had a beam of 27feet and a draught of 10feet. Displacement was 1087LT normal and 1240LT full load. Three Yarrow boilers fed steam to two sets of Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines rated at 29000shp and driving two shafts, giving a design speed of in light load and at full load. Two funnels were fitted, the forward one larger in diameter. A total of of fuel oil were carried, giving a design range of at .
Tobagos armament consisted of three QF 4in Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline. One was mounted on the raised forecastle, while another was positioned between the second and third funnels and the last was located aft. The ship also mounted a single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun for air defence. Six 210NaN0 torpedoes were launched from two triple rotating mounts located aft with two 180NaN0 mounts fitted athwartships. This ship's complement was 90 officers and ratings.
Laid down in May 1917, Tobago was launched on 15 July 1918 and completed on 2 October that year. The destroyer joined the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla just before the end of the First World War. After the Armistice, the Grand Fleet was dissolved. Tobago was recommissioned on 22 February 1919 and assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet under . The ship was assigned to Malta to support of British interests in the Greco-Turkish War. While on patrol on 15 July 1920, Tobago hit a mine off the coast from Trabzon. The damage was deemed uneconomic to repair and, on 15 December 1920, the ship was paid off. The destroyer returned to Malta and was sold for scrap on 9 February 1922.
| Date | |
| G61 | September 1918 |
| F28 | January 1919 |
| HA8 | January 1922 |