She was scrapped in Willmarth was named in honor of Ensign Kenneth Willmarth , who was killed in action when the cruiser Vincennes was sunk during the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August Eva Willmarth, the mother of Ens. Willmarth; and commissioned on 13 March Following shakedown out of San Diego and post-shakedown availability at her builder's yard, Willmarth was assigned to Escort Division After delivering the convoy safely at Eniwetok nine days later, Willmarth proceeded on to the Treasury Islands , anchoring in Blanche Harbor at on the 26th.
Shifting successively to Tulagi and Purvis Bay , Willmarth operated on local escort and patrol missions in the Solomon and Treasury Islands groups for the remainder of July. She escorted a small convoy to Dreger Harbor , New Guinea , between 1 and 5 August and then shifted to Milne Bay for repairs on her port propeller. Underway for the Treasury Islands on 24 August, Willmarth made radar contact with an unidentified ship at on the 25th.
Willmarth tracked the stranger and challenged her at , when about two miles 3 km distant. The latter did not reply, but instead altered course away from the destroyer escort and increased speed. Willmarth repeated the challenge at but again received no reply. On the port beam of her target, the escort vessel illuminated the stranger with her searchlight and discovered her to be a freighter of some 8, to 10, tons.
Only 2, yards 2, m away, Willmarth 's men could see the freighter's crew manning their guns to challenge the destroyer escort. Willmarth opened the range to 4, yards 3, m as the freighter responded with two different call signs, perhaps seeking to confuse the escort vessel. Just as Willmarth began to flash a call for recognition signals, the freighter commenced fire with 3-inch 76 mm guns.
Willmarth subsequently anchored at Blanche Harbor later on the 25th. Late the next day, she got underway on an escort assignment and convoyed Stratford AP to Green Island , Bougainville , arriving on the 29th to screen the transport as she unloaded. She eventually escorted the troopship to Emirau Island and Torokina , Bougainville, before proceeding independently to the Treasury Islands.
