Spitfire after having been rammed by the German battleship Nassau during the Battle of Jutland
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Spitfire
Builder	Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend
Launched	23 December 1912
Fate	Sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921
General characteristics
Class and type	Acasta-class destroyer
Length	267 ft 6 in (81.53 m)
Beam	27 ft (8.2 m)
Draught	10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
Propulsion	Yarrow-type water-tube boilers, Parsons steam turbines
Speed	29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Armament	3 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) L/40 Mark IV guns, mounting P Mk. IX 1 × QF 2-pdr pom-pom Mk. II 2 × single tubes for 21 inch (533 mm) torpedoes

HMS Spitfire was an Acasta-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Spitfire took part in the battle of Jutland in 1916.

She was launched on 23 December 1912 from the Wallsend yard of Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson and joined the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla.^[1]

From the beginning of the First World War, Spitfire and her flotilla were attached to the Grand Fleet.^[1]

Amongst the small engagements which happened during the night of 31 May–1 June 1916 during the Battle of Jutland was one between Spitfire and the German battleship Nassau. Spitfire evaded an attempt by Nassau to ram her, but the two ships nevertheless collided and Spitfire was seriously damaged, blast from Nassau's guns demolishing much of her upperworks, but she ripped off a 20 feet (6.1 m) section of the German ship's side plating. Both ships survived to return to port.^[2]

Spitfire helped in the rescue of survivors from the hospital/evacuation ship Rhodesia (formerly the Union Castle liner Galway Castle) which was torpedoed 160 miles off Fastnet by the German submarine U-82 on 12 September 1918.

Spitfire was sold to Thos. W. Ward shipbreakers^[3] for scrapping on 9 May 1921.^[1]

• Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project - HMS Spitfire Crew List