 The ship was the 18th in a series of British warships named after the mythical phoenix, and had the motto "Resurgam" (Latin for "I will rise again") "Phoenix" was originally deployed on the China Station as part of the 4th submarine flotilla.Ships of the China Station were tasked with trade protection and were used as a symbol of British power.In later September 1935, "Phoenix", , , , and the depot ship were ordered to travel to the Mediterranean.