Escort was assigned to Force H in late June, and participated in the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir in early July.

The turbines developed a total of 36,000 shaft horsepower (27,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph).

Escort carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 6,350 nautical miles (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[3] Escort was ordered from Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, at Greenock, Scotland on 1 November 1932, under the 1931 Construction Programme.

[4] Upon commissioning the ship was assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, aside from a brief deployment in the West Indies between January and March 1935.

Escort became tender to the light cruiser HMS Caledon of the Reserve Fleet upon her return, and was not recommissioned until 2 August, when she was assigned to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla.

[5] On 3 September, Escort and her sister HMS Electra rescued some 300-odd survivors from the ocean liner SS Athenia,[6] which had been torpedoed by the German submarine U-30.

Escort was based in Scapa Flow as part of the Home Fleet until 26 June, when she sailed for Gibraltar to join Force H. It is uncertain if her rear set of torpedo tubes were replaced by a 3-inch (76.2 mm) (12-pounder) AA gun at this time.