HMS Cockatrice was an Acasta-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, launched in 1912 and serving through the First World War. Built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company of Newcastle upon Tyne, she was laid down on 23 October 1911 and launched on 8 November 1912. The vessel measured 260 feet in length between perpendiculars and 267.5 feet overall, with a beam of 27 feet and a draught of 10 feet 5 inches. Her displacement was 892 long tons at normal load and up to 1,072 long tons at deep load. Powered by four Yarrow boilers feeding Parsons steam turbines rated at 24,500 shaft horsepower, she achieved a top speed of 29 knots, making her swift and agile in naval operations. Her crew complement consisted of 73 officers and ratings. Armament on HMS Cockatrice included three 4-inch BL Mk VIII guns, with 120 rounds per gun, and two 21-inch torpedo tubes, with two reload torpedoes. By January 1916, she was fitted with minesweeping gear, reflecting her versatility. In 1916, one of her 4-inch guns was converted for anti-aircraft use with a high-angle mount, but in 1918, she was modified further by removing her guns and torpedo tubes to enhance her depth charge capacity for anti-submarine warfare. Throughout her service, HMS Cockatrice was assigned to the 4th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, based at Portsmouth and later at Scapa Flow with the Grand Fleet. She experienced storm damage in December 1914. During the war, her roles varied from protecting British minesweepers and deterring German minelayers off the east coast to anti-submarine patrols in the English Channel. Notably, she was absent from the Battle of Jutland in 1916 due to a refit. She engaged in patrols and attacked possible submarine contacts in May 1918 with depth charges. By the end of the war, she had transferred to the Northern Patrol Force based at Dundee. HMS Cockatrice was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1921 to Thos. W. Ward of Hayle, marking the end of her naval career.

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