The first commander of HMS Scorpion was the then Lieutenant-Commander Andrew Cunningham. Early days in Scorpion included the Spithead Naval Review of 1911 that stood out in Cunningham's mind as the zenith of British naval power with twenty-six miles of ships including 42 battleships and 68 destroyers. In 1913 the period in home waters came to an end with Scorpion posted to the Mediterranean. The early part of the war saw her involved in the chase of the German battlecruiser Goeben and the Dardanelles Campaign. Scorpion was always at the forefront of the action; her role included escorting bombarding ships, covering minesweeping trawlers and, later, acting as a minesweeper herself.