After a successful Warship Week national savings campaign in March 1942, Badsworth was adopted by the civil community of Batley, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

However, in June 1942 she took up the role of close escort in Convoy Harpoon, aiming to deliver vital supplies to the beleaguered island of Malta.

[3] The convoy met fierce attacks from the besieging Italian and German forces with only two out of the initial six merchant ships reaching Malta.

Towed to Liverpool for repairs, the Badsworth was then transferred to the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy under the name HNoMS Arendal.

On 13 December Badsworth joined military convoy WS14 in its passage from the Clyde to the north west approaches for ocean escort duties with the battleship Ramillies and the destroyer Beaufort.

Badsworth detached from WS-14 on 21 December with the armed merchant cruiser Cilicia, Beaufort and the local escort on arrival to Freetown.

[9] Released early from Myrmidon, Badsworth returned to Derry, joining military convoy WS-18 on 18 April with the destroyers Georgetown, Lauderdale and Lancaster.

[10] The day after, Badsworth assisted in the rescue of survivors from the British merchantmen Cape Corso and Jutland which were sunk by air attacks.

Badsworth remained in North Russia until 21 May, when she joined the ocean escort for the return convoy QP-12, with Ulster Queen, the destroyers Venomous, Boadicea, Escapade, Inglefield and St Albans.

After preparing for the Mediterranean duties at Derry, on 6 June the destroyer joined Convoy WS-19S in the north west approaches as part of Ocean Escort for passage to Gibraltar.

[12] Also part of Force X charged with leading the convoy to Malta were the minesweepers Hebe, Speedy, Hythe and Rye.

[13] On 16 June, Badsworth suffered major structural damage after she detonated a mine whilst entering Grand Harbour, Malta.

The ships’ night time arrival, along with errors in the signals received for a mine-swept path caused the convoy to pass through a minefield.

Temporary repairs to allow a return to Great Britain took until 11 August, when Badsworth left Malta, along with the Matchless as escorts for two merchantmen to Gibraltar.

[16] Their passage back to Gibraltar was deliberately planned to coincide with that of the next Malta relief convoy, Operation Pedestal.

The ships arrived at Gibraltar on 15 August, with Badsworth leaving harbour three days later, heading for the United Kingdom for repairs.

On 16 March, as Badsworth was prepared for foreign service, she joined the joint military convoy WS-28/KMF-11 in the Clyde with the Polish destroyer Krakowiak, and the Royal Navy destroyers Douglas, Eggesford, Goathland, Whaddon and the sloops Woodpecker and Wren as escorts during the convoy’s Atlantic passage.

Temporary repairs were made in Malta during May, upon completion Badsworth was towed back to the United Kingdom by the tug Frisky as part of Convoy MKS-15.

[18] In September, Arendal was nominated for duty with the 16th Destroyer Flotilla, based at Harwich, after completing the shipyard work, carrying out the harbour trial, a post refit trial, the destroyer was ready again for operational service, joining the flotilla at Harwich for patrol and escort duties in the North Sea and the Channel.

Arendal was a destroyer escort in Operation Kingdom,[19] the embarkation of the Crown Prince of Norway aboard HMS Ariadne[20] for his return to Oslo.