[3] Two Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers fed two geared steam turbines which drove two propeller shafts.

[6] Bideford underwent another short refit, this time at Bombay, India, from September to November 1937 before returning to the Gulf.

[5] Bideford was still part of the China Station on the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, continuing to carry out patrols until being ordered to return to Britain in December 1939.

[5][7] On her journey back to home waters, Bideford formed part of the escort of Convoy HGF 14 from Gibraltar to the UK, attacking a suspected submarine contact off Cape Finisterre on 9 January 1940.

The Dragonfly-class river gunboat Locust towed Bideford back to Dover, the journey taking 32 hours and ending on 31 May.

[5] In August 1941, Bideford was part of the escort of the Freetown, Sierra Leone-bound Convoy OS.4, which came under attack by U-boats, with five merchant ships being sunk.

[14] On the return journey, Bideford, together with the Banff-class sloops Gorleston and Lulworth, the corvette Gardenia and the Free French Aviso Commandant Duboc, formed the escort for Convoy SL 87 of 11 merchant ships.

The escort was ineffective, being inexperienced and short of fuel (having not refuelled at Freetown), and failed to counter-attack against the German submarines.

[14] On 25 August 1943 while serving with the 40th Escort Group in the Bay of Biscay, Bideford was damaged by a Henschel Hs 293 guided missile launched by a Luftwaffe aircraft, from II.Gruppe/KG 100.