She participated in the fleet exercise the next month in the western Mediterranean and made several visits to Spanish and Moroccan ports in April and May.

In July, Z17 Diether von Roeder joined her sisters Z18 Hans Lüdemann and Z19 Hermann Künne making port visits in Norway.

[5] When World War II began in September, she was initially deployed in the German Bight where she laid defensive minefields.

[6] On the night of 17/18 October, Rear Admiral (Konteradmiral) Günther Lütjens, aboard his flagship Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp, led Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt, Z17 Diether von Roeder, Z18 Hans Lüdemann, Z19 Hermann Künne, and Z20 Karl Galster as they laid a minefield off the mouth of the River Humber.

Lieutenant Commander (Korvettenkapitän) Erich Holtorf, the ship's captain, believed that his orders ended at dawn and returned to Narvik harbor.

Visibility cleared as the leading British ships finished their attack on the harbor and several of them engaged Z17 Diether von Roeder.

3 gun, severed the controls to the rudder, damaged the center and aft boiler rooms, knocking out all power, and set an oil tank on fire.

On the night of 12/13 April, Commander (Fregattenkapitän) Erich Bey, the senior surviving German officer, received word to expect an attack the following day by British capital ships escorted by a large number of destroyers and supported by carrier aircraft.

The battleship Warspite and nine destroyers duly appeared on 13 April, although earlier than Bey had expected, and caught the Germans out of position.

The British initially thought that they were fired upon by coastal artillery in the smoke and confusion, but a report from a Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber from Warspite revealed the German ship.

She started making hits with her second salvo and set the German ship's stern aflame, but Z17 Diether von Roeder's return fire was devastating.

They lit the fuses and ran ashore; the depth charges packed into her interior exploded when the British ship was less than 50 meters (55 yd) away with a boarding party ready.