She had four captains across the war: Alexandru Dumbravă (1941–1942), Ovidiu Mărgineanu (1942–1943), Gheorghe Harting (1943) and Anton Foca (1943–1944).

Amiral Murgescu was commissioned on 2 March 1941.
Her first mission was between 16 and 19 June 1941, when she and two other Romanian minelayers, Regele Carol I and Aurora, laid a barrage of 1,000 mines between Cape Midia and Tuzla, to protect the main Romanian port of Constanța.
When the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacked the port on 26 June, she helped repel the attack, together with the flotilla leader Mărăști and the destroyer Regina Maria and the German coastal battery Tirpitz.
The Soviet destroyer leader Moskva was sunk by Romanian mines and the cruiser Voroshilov was damaged.
Amiral Murgescu also shot down two Soviet aircraft on that same day.
Later, the Soviet submarine Shch-213 and 3 more Soviet submarines (M-58, M-34 and Shch-208) were sunk by Romanian mines near Constanța.
The German R-boat R-36 was also sunk by Romanian mines near Constanța in 1943.

During a Soviet air raid on 23 June 1941, two of her crewmen were wounded.
On a subsequent raid which took place the following day, she shot down two Soviet aircraft, her first aerial kills.

On 25 June, Amiral Murgescu shot down three Soviet aircraft in 15 minutes.

During a Soviet air attack on Constanța on 5 August, she shot down three more aircraft.

Her next mission was between 7 and 16 October 1941.
Together with the Romanian minelayers Regele Carol I and Dacia and escorted by the Romanian 250t-class torpedo boats Năluca, Sborul and Smeul, Romanian gunboats Sublocotenent Ghiculescu and Căpitan Dumitrescu and Bulgarian torpedo boats Drazki, Smeli and Hrabri, she laid four full minefields and one partial minefield along the Bulgarian coast.
These mines later sank 4 Soviet submarines (S-34, L-24, Shch-210 and Shch-211).

In February 1942, she participated in a minelaying operation near Sulina, at the mouth of the Danube.

On 24 June 1942, she laid mines near Odessa along with Dacia, while being escorted by the Romanian destroyers Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria, the flotilla leader Mărășești, the Romanian gunboats Ghiculescu, Stihi and Dumitrescu and the Romanian torpedo boat Smeul as well as motor minesweepers of the Donau Flotilla.
The mines laid near Odessa later sank the Soviet submarines M-33 and M-60 and the motor gunboats YA-26 and YA-27.

On 29–30 October and 5 November 1942, she along with Dacia and the Romanian destroyers Regina Maria and Regele Ferdinand, the Romanian leader Mărăști, the Romanian gunboat Stihi and four German R-boats laid two mine barrages to protect Snake Island.
These mines sank the Soviet submarine Shch-212 on 11 December that same year.
The Soviet submarine M-31 was either sunk as well by the Romanian mine barrages near the island on 17 December, or sunk with depth charges by the Romanian leader Mărășești on 7 July 1943.
On 1 December 1942, while the Soviet cruiser Voroshilov together with the destroyer Soobrazitelny were bombarding the island with forty-six 180 mm and fifty-seven 100 mm shells, the cruiser was damaged by Romanian mines, but she managed to return to Poti for repairs under her own power.
During the brief bombardment, she struck the radio station, barracks and lighthouse on the island, but failed to inflict significant losses.

On the night of 13–14 September 1943, Amiral Murgescu, escorted by two Romanian destroyers, laid mines off Sevastopol.
On 15 September, she along with two German auxiliary minelayers, escorted by six R-boats and the German armed ship Xanten, laid a barrage of mines that closed the mouth of the Gulf of Kherson.

When not used as minelayer, Amiral Murgescu was employed as an escort ship.
She participated in a total of 16 escort missions, mainly between Constanța and Sevastopol, between November 1942 and September 1943.
One of these missions, on 19–20 July 1943, was carried out solely by her.
On 15 April 1944, a convoy she was escorting during the evacuation of the Crimea was attacked five times by Soviet bombers.
She shot down two of them, but one of he
She had four captains across the war: Alexandru Dumbravă (1941–1942), Ovidiu Mărgineanu (1942–1943), Gheorghe Harting (1943) and Anton Foca (1943–1944).
Amiral Murgescu was commissioned on 2 March 1941. Her first mission was between 16 and 19 June 1941, when she and two other Romanian minelayers, Regele Carol I and Aurora, laid a barrage of 1,000 mines between Cape Midia and Tuzla, to protect the main Romanian port of Constanța. When the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacked the port on 26 June, she helped repel the attack, together with the flotilla leader Mărăști and the destroyer Regina Maria and the German coastal battery Tirpitz. The Soviet destroyer leader Moskva was sunk by Romanian mines and the cruiser Voroshilov was damaged. Amiral Murgescu also shot down two Soviet aircraft on that same day. Later, the Soviet submarine Shch-213 and 3 more Soviet submarines (M-58, M-34 and Shch-208) were sunk by Romanian mines near Constanța. The German R-boat R-36 was also sunk by Romanian mines near Constanța in 1943.
During a Soviet air raid on 23 June 1941, two of her crewmen were wounded. On a subsequent raid which took place the following day, she shot down two Soviet aircraft, her first aerial kills.
On 25 June, Amiral Murgescu shot down three Soviet aircraft in 15 minutes.
During a Soviet air attack on Constanța on 5 August, she shot down three more aircraft.
Her next mission was between 7 and 16 October 1941. Together with the Romanian minelayers Regele Carol I and Dacia and escorted by the Romanian 250t-class torpedo boats Năluca, Sborul and Smeul, Romanian gunboats Sublocotenent Ghiculescu and Căpitan Dumitrescu and Bulgarian torpedo boats Drazki, Smeli and Hrabri, she laid four full minefields and one partial minefield along the Bulgarian coast. These mines later sank 4 Soviet submarines (S-34, L-24, Shch-210 and Shch-211).
In February 1942, she participated in a minelaying operation near Sulina, at the mouth of the Danube.
On 24 June 1942, she laid mines near Odessa along with Dacia, while being escorted by the Romanian destroyers Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria, the flotilla leader Mărășești, the Romanian gunboats Ghiculescu, Stihi and Dumitrescu and the Romanian torpedo boat Smeul as well as motor minesweepers of the Donau Flotilla. The mines laid near Odessa later sank the Soviet submarines M-33 and M-60 and the motor gunboats YA-26 and YA-27.
On 29–30 October and 5 November 1942, she along with Dacia and the Romanian destroyers Regina Maria and Regele Ferdinand, the Romanian leader Mărăști, the Romanian gunboat Stihi and four German R-boats laid two mine barrages to protect Snake Island. These mines sank the Soviet submarine Shch-212 on 11 December that same year. The Soviet submarine M-31 was either sunk as well by the Romanian mine barrages near the island on 17 December, or sunk with depth charges by the Romanian leader Mărășești on 7 July 1943. On 1 December 1942, while the Soviet cruiser Voroshilov together with the destroyer Soobrazitelny were bombarding the island with forty-six 180 mm and fifty-seven 100 mm shells, the cruiser was damaged by Romanian mines, but she managed to return to Poti for repairs under her own power. During the brief bombardment, she struck the radio station, barracks and lighthouse on the island, but failed to inflict significant losses.
On the night of 13–14 September 1943, Amiral Murgescu, escorted by two Romanian destroyers, laid mines off Sevastopol. On 15 September, she along with two German auxiliary minelayers, escorted by six R-boats and the German armed ship Xanten, laid a barrage of mines that closed the mouth of the Gulf of Kherson.
When not used as minelayer, Amiral Murgescu was employed as an escort ship. She participated in a total of 16 escort missions, mainly between Constanța and Sevastopol, between November 1942 and September 1943. One of these missions, on 19–20 July 1943, was carried out solely by her. On 15 April 1944, a convoy she was escorting during the evacuation of the Crimea was attacked five times by Soviet bombers. She shot down two of them, but one of he
NMS Amiral Murgescu