HMS Portia was an Admiralty M-class destroyer constructed for the Royal Navy during World War I. Launched on 10 August 1916 and completed by 24 October of the same year, she was part of a series of eighteen M-class vessels ordered in 1915, designed to outperform their predecessors with higher speeds. The ship measured 265 feet (80.8 meters) in length overall, with a beam of 26 feet 8 inches (8.1 meters) and a draught of 9 feet 3 inches (2.8 meters). Displacing approximately 994 long tons (1,010 tons) at normal load and up to 1,025 long tons (1,041 tons) fully loaded, Portia was powered by three Yarrow boilers and two Brown-Curtis steam turbines rated at 25,000 shaft horsepower, achieving a maximum design speed of 34 knots. Her armament comprised three 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV QF guns mounted along the centerline—on the forecastle, amidships, and aft on a raised platform. She was also equipped with a single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun and two twin torpedo mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes. The ship's complement consisted of 76 officers and ratings. The vessel was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock, with the yard number 475, and was named after Portia from William Shakespeare’s *The Merchant of Venice*. Initially serving with the Grand Fleet's Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla, Portia was reassigned on 23 January 1917 to anti-submarine duties in response to Germany’s declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare. She participated in anti-submarine patrols, including searches for U-boats like SM UC-44, although without success. The destroyer also performed convoy escort duties, notably protecting ships from submarine attacks, such as the sinking of a Swedish vessel by U-19 during her service. Following the Armistice in November 1918, Portia was placed in reserve, transferred to Devonport in December 1919, and ultimately decommissioned. She was sold for breaking up to Thos. W. Ward at Milford Haven on 9 May 1921. Her service exemplifies the role of early 20th-century destroyers in fleet actions and anti-submarine warfare during WWI.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.