Scrapped 1920
HMS Attentive went into Reserve Fleet at the Nore on completion in June 1906. In March 1907 she was commissioned at Chatham for the Nore division of the Home Fleet.
On the afternoon of the 27th April 1908 , the Eastern Destroyer Flotilla, consisting of 15 vessels, in company with the scouts HMS Adventure and HMS Attentive, left Harwich for the purpose of firing exercise and night maneuvers. A little after midnight, all the vessels having their lights masked, one of the destroyers, HMS Gala, came into collision with HMS Attentive, being struck by the latter's ram in the after part of the engine room, and cut in two. The fore part of HMS Gala sunk almost immediately, but the after part, with all the crew clinging to it remained afloat for some time, sinking while an attempt was being made to tow it into shallow water.Fortunately all but one of the crew was saved, Engineer Lieutenant F A Fletcher, who was drowned.
HMS Attentive afterwards came into collision with another of the destroyers, HMS Ribble, which received damage sufficiently serious to oblige her to put back to Sheerness.
HMS Attentive was re commissioned at Chatham in July 1909 and became leader for the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, transferring in 1910 to the 2nd Destroyer flotilla, recommissioned at Devonport in October 1911 and went into refit in August 1912, after which she joined the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron for the annual maneuvers in 1913. In July 1913 she joined the 1st destroyer Flotilla.
In 1914 she joined the 6th destroyer Flotilla at Dover and spending most of the war years as part of the Dover patrol. On the 25th April 1918 she took part in the Zeebrugge raid and this was followed by escorting duties for Convoys going to Gibraltar. She was finally paid off in December 1918 and scrapped in April 1920.
Displacement: 2640 tons, Speed: 25 Knots, Compliment: 268 Armament: ten 12 pdr QF, Eight 2 pdr, Two 18-inch Torpedo Tubes
Roll of Honour
"Lest we forget"
Their name liveth for evermore
Engineer Lieutenant F A Fletcher - died in a collision with HMS Gala 28 April 1908