She was commissioned simultaneously on 23 January under the White Ensign as HMS Montgomery (G 95)—Lt.
Comdr.
W. L. Puxley, RN, in command.

The destroyer underwent further fitting out and familiarisation before departing Canadian waters on 1 November, bound for the British Isles.
En route, Montgomery and the other of her sister ships in company swept through the scene of the one-sided naval engagement between the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay and the German "pocket battleship" Admiral Scheer.
This action had occurred on 5 November when the German warship attacked a convoy escorted by the erstwhile merchant steamship.
Jervis Bay had interspersed herself between the raider and the convoy, allowing the latter to escape while being herself sunk.
Montgomery found nothing, however, and after searching briefly for the German "pocket battleship"—with orders to shadow by day and attack by night—arrived at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 11 November.

Shifting to Plymouth, England, a week later, Montgomery was allocated to the Western Approaches command and based at Liverpool.
During the course of one of her early patrols, Montgomery rescued 39 survivors from the motor tanker Scottish Standard which had been torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-96 on 21 February 1941.
Disembarking the rescued mariners on 24 February, Montgomery resumed her Western Approaches patrols soon thereafter.

The flush-decker underwent repairs at Barrow-in-Furness from April to September and was later assigned to the 4th Escort Group.
Montgomery was modified for trade convoy escort service by removal of three of the original 4"/50 caliber guns and one of the triple torpedo tube mounts to reduce topside weight for additional depth charge stowage and installation of hedgehog.
 Based now at Greenock, the destroyer operated between the British Isles and Canadian ports through the end of 1941.
On 13 January 1942, the Panamanian-registered steamer SS Friar Rock was torpedoed and sunk by U-130 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.
Four days later, Montgomery picked up seven survivors from that ship.

In February 1942, Montgomery came under the aegis of the Western Local Escort Force at Halifax.
Later in 1942, the destroyer was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy before she sailed south and underwent repairs at the Charleston Navy Yard which lasted into the following year 1943.
Resuming her coastwise convoy escort operations in February 1943, Montgomery rescued survivors of the torpedoed Manchester Merchant— sunk by U-628 on 25 February 1943, 390 miles (630 km) off Cape Race.

The destroyer remained with the Western Local Escort Force into late 1943, operating out of Halifax.
On 12 December 1943, she assisted the Bowater-Lloyd Paper Co. barge Spruce Lake and, on 27 December, departed Halifax for the British Isles, carrying the surviving crew members from the torpedoed British destroyer HMS Hurricane which had been sunk by U-415 on 24 December.

Arriving in England soon thereafter, Montgomery was placed in reserve in the River Tyne on 23 February 1944.
Removed from the "effective list"—the British equivalent of the United States Navy's "Navy List" – the veteran flush-decker was subsequently broken up for scrap in the spring of 1945 shortly before the end of the war in Europe.
She was commissioned simultaneously on 23 January under the White Ensign as HMS Montgomery (G 95)—Lt. Comdr. W. L. Puxley, RN, in command.
The destroyer underwent further fitting out and familiarisation before departing Canadian waters on 1 November, bound for the British Isles. En route, Montgomery and the other of her sister ships in company swept through the scene of the one-sided naval engagement between the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay and the German "pocket battleship" Admiral Scheer. This action had occurred on 5 November when the German warship attacked a convoy escorted by the erstwhile merchant steamship. Jervis Bay had interspersed herself between the raider and the convoy, allowing the latter to escape while being herself sunk. Montgomery found nothing, however, and after searching briefly for the German "pocket battleship"—with orders to shadow by day and attack by night—arrived at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 11 November.
Shifting to Plymouth, England, a week later, Montgomery was allocated to the Western Approaches command and based at Liverpool. During the course of one of her early patrols, Montgomery rescued 39 survivors from the motor tanker Scottish Standard which had been torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-96 on 21 February 1941. Disembarking the rescued mariners on 24 February, Montgomery resumed her Western Approaches patrols soon thereafter.
The flush-decker underwent repairs at Barrow-in-Furness from April to September and was later assigned to the 4th Escort Group. Montgomery was modified for trade convoy escort service by removal of three of the original 4"/50 caliber guns and one of the triple torpedo tube mounts to reduce topside weight for additional depth charge stowage and installation of hedgehog.  Based now at Greenock, the destroyer operated between the British Isles and Canadian ports through the end of 1941. On 13 January 1942, the Panamanian-registered steamer SS Friar Rock was torpedoed and sunk by U-130 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Four days later, Montgomery picked up seven survivors from that ship.
In February 1942, Montgomery came under the aegis of the Western Local Escort Force at Halifax. Later in 1942, the destroyer was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy before she sailed south and underwent repairs at the Charleston Navy Yard which lasted into the following year 1943. Resuming her coastwise convoy escort operations in February 1943, Montgomery rescued survivors of the torpedoed Manchester Merchant— sunk by U-628 on 25 February 1943, 390 miles (630 km) off Cape Race.
The destroyer remained with the Western Local Escort Force into late 1943, operating out of Halifax. On 12 December 1943, she assisted the Bowater-Lloyd Paper Co. barge Spruce Lake and, on 27 December, departed Halifax for the British Isles, carrying the surviving crew members from the torpedoed British destroyer HMS Hurricane which had been sunk by U-415 on 24 December.
Arriving in England soon thereafter, Montgomery was placed in reserve in the River Tyne on 23 February 1944. Removed from the "effective list"—the British equivalent of the United States Navy's "Navy List" – the veteran flush-decker was subsequently broken up for scrap in the spring of 1945 shortly before the end of the war in Europe.
USS Wickes (DD-75)