HMAS Waterhen (D22/I22) was a W-class destroyer built during World War I, featuring a displacement of approximately 1,100 tons at standard load. She measured 312 feet 1.25 inches (95.13 meters) in overall length, with a beam of 29 feet 6.5 inches (9.00 meters) and a maximum draught of 13 feet 11.125 inches (4.24 meters). Her propulsion system comprised three Yarrow boilers feeding two Brown-Curtis turbines, which delivered 27,000 shaft horsepower, enabling her to reach a maximum speed of 34 knots (63 km/h). The vessel had an operational range of 3,560 nautical miles at 12 knots. Her armament at launch included four single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mark V guns, a quad-barrelled QF 2-pounder naval gun, and five .303 inch machine guns. She was also equipped with two 3-tube 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo sets, two depth charge chutes, and four depth charge throwers. Later modifications added a second 2-pounder gun and replaced her torpedo tubes with two 4-tube sets. Laid down by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company in Hebburn-on-Tyne on 3 July 1917, Waterhen was launched on 26 March 1918 and completed on 17 July 1918. She was initially commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Waterhen (G28/D22). In 1933, she was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), arriving in Australia in December of that year. Her early RAN service was marked by periods in reserve, with reactivations in 1936 and late 1938. With the outbreak of World War II, Waterhen was recommissioned and deployed to Singapore before heading to the Mediterranean as part of the "Scrap Iron Flotilla." During her Mediterranean service, she performed escort, patrol, and shore bombardment duties, and participated in evacuations from Greece and Crete. Notably, on 29 June 1941, while operating with the Tobruk Ferry Service, Waterhen was attacked by Italian and German dive bombers. She was hit in the stern by a 500 kg bomb, causing severe flooding and ensuing her sinking on 30 June 1941. She was the first RAN ship lost to enemy action in WWII. Her service earned her three battle honours: "Libya 1941," "Greece 1941," and "Crete 1941."

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