HMS Pheasant (1916)

HMS Pheasant was an Admiralty M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was ordered in September 1914 as part of the Third War Programme.

Launched on 23 October 1916, Pheasant had a relatively short service life. On 12 May 1917, while patrolling off the north coast of Ireland, she struck a mine laid by the German U-boat UC-75 near Tory Island. The resulting explosion caused severe damage and Pheasant sank rapidly with the loss of all 90 crew members.

The wreck of HMS Pheasant was located in 2017, lying in approximately 130 meters of water. Her sinking represents one of the largest single-incident losses of life involving a Royal Navy vessel in Irish waters during the First World War.