HMS Opal was an Admiralty M-class destroyer constructed for the Royal Navy during World War I. Built at William Doxford & Sons shipyard in Sunderland, she was laid down on 1 February 1915 and launched on 11 September 1915. During sea trials in early 1916, she achieved a top speed of 34.31 knots (approximately 63.54 km/h or 39.48 mph), demonstrating her swift capabilities. She was commissioned in April 1916 and assigned to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla, based at Scapa Flow, as part of the Grand Fleet. Designed as one of 25 destroyers ordered under the Third War Programme, the M-class was among the latest destroyer classes before the war, with a total of 90 ships ordered by May 1915. HMS Opal's service was marked by participation in significant naval operations, most notably the Battle of Jutland, where her flotilla supported the Grand Fleet in the largest naval engagement of the war. She also conducted routine duties such as minesweeping, convoy escort, and anti-submarine patrols in the North Sea. Her wartime service included an engagement on 24 July 1917, when she and the destroyer Mounsey protected a convoy attacked by the German U-67 submarine. After U-67 torpedoed and sank the Swedish merchant Viking, HMS Opal responded by dropping depth charges in an attempt to destroy the submarine, which ultimately escaped unharmed. Tragically, HMS Opal's service ended in disaster. On 12 January 1918, during a night patrol off the Scottish coast with her sister ship Narborough and the cruiser Boadicea, she was caught in severe weather conditions that led to her running aground on the rocks of the Crura islet off South Ronaldsay. Despite efforts to communicate her position, she was lost, battered and broken by the sea, with only one survivor, William Sissons. The wrecks of Opal and Narborough were abandoned and broken up over the following weeks, marking a tragic end to her brief but active service during the war.

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