to inflict severe damage to her before escaping. Penshurst was towed back to Portsmouth where she was docked for repairs and a refit. On 2 July, back in service and under a new commander, Lieutenant C Naylor, Penshurst was again in the Southwest Approaches when she fell in with another U-boat. The boat submerged as Penshurst approached and fired a torpedo, which missed. Naylor sent his boat party off, and then waited for the U-boat to come into range. Penshurst was under fire for some thirty minutes until she was able to open fire herself. The U-boat was damaged, but again was able to escape, despite the arrival of a group of destroyers. For this action, and his resolution under fire, Naylor received the DSO. On 19 August Penshurst was following up a report from a merchantman when she fell in with . As she approached, the U-boat fired a torpedo, which struck below the bridge. As the boat surfaced, Penshurst fired using a 3 pdr gun she carried in plain sight. By this stage of the campaign many merchant ships were defensively armed, and a Q-ship would look suspicious if she did not do the same. It was a further development in the process of bluff and double-bluff which typified the Q-ship campaign. However UC-72 was not fooled by this lacklustre response, and Penshurt was not fully under control, so Naylor refrained from sending off his boat party, but opened fire with all guns. He had also sent a distress call, and after a short time was joined by the destroyer . At this UC-72 submerged and fled. Penshurst, escorted by Leonidas then made her way back to Plymouth, where she remained in dock for repair and refit. One of the changes was to improve her armament, adding two 4-inch guns and upgrading to two 12 pdr and two 6 pdr guns. These were re-positioned to give more firepower over the bow and stern. These changes were to take account of the changes in U-boat armament and tactics. Fate On 24 December 1917 Penshurst was again on patrol in the southern part of the Irish Sea, when she encountered a U-boat off The Smalls. The boat, , submerged in order to let Penshurst come into range, and just after midday fired a torpedo, which hit her in the engine room. Naylor sent his boat crew off, but U-110 remained