HMS Pheasant was an Admiralty M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War I, representing an improved and faster evolution of the Laforey-class design. Displacing approximately 972 long tons (988 tonnes), she measured 273 feet 4 inches (83.3 meters) in length, with a beam of 26 feet 8 inches (8.1 meters) and a draught of 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 meters). Her propulsion system consisted of a single Brown-Curtis direct-drive steam turbine driving three propeller shafts, powered by three Yarrow boilers. This setup generated a total of 25,000 shaft horsepower (19,000 kW), enabling a maximum speed of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph). The vessel carried up to 228 long tons (232 tonnes) of fuel oil, providing a range of 2,100 nautical miles (3,900 km; 2,400 miles) at a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Her complement comprised 76 officers and ratings. Armament on HMS Pheasant included three single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mark IV guns, a QF 2-pounder (40 mm) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun, and two above-water twin mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes, making her well-equipped for fleet actions and patrol duties. Ordered under the 5th War Emergency Programme in May 1915, she was constructed by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Govan on the Clyde, launched on 23 October 1916, and completed in December of the same year. Pheasant was assigned to the Grand Fleet’s 15th Destroyer Flotilla, where she participated in routine patrols. Tragically, HMS Pheasant was sunk on 1 March 1917 during a patrol at the Western entrance of Scapa Flow, following an explosion caused by striking a mine—likely laid by German forces or their agents. The sinking resulted in the loss of 89 lives, with only one body and limited debris recovered. Her wreck lies at a depth of 82 meters (269 feet) in the North Sea, roughly east-west, and was rediscovered by divers in 1996. HMS Pheasant's brief service history and her sinking underscore the perilous conditions of naval warfare during WWI and her role as part of the Royal Navy’s efforts to secure maritime dominance.

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