She was adopted by the civil community of Wincanton, Somerset in March 1942, following a successful Warship Week National Savings campaign.

By October she was engaged on contraband patrols, before being transferred to Freetown to join Atlantic convoy defence efforts.

Upon her return to service in January, Fowey was nominated to serve with Western Approaches Command, and deployed out of Plymouth on convoy escort duties.

The U-55 had attacked a convoy south west of the Isles of Scilly, sinking two ships but was sunk herself with only one of her crew lost.

She deployed again on 5 April, this time with Bideford and HMS Watchman, escorting the inward bound Convoy HG 25 through the South Western Approaches from Gibraltar to Liverpool.

She carried out post refit trials in June and rejoined Western Approaches Command at Liverpool in July.

On 15 June she picked up 16 survivors from the Norwegian tanker SS Italia, that had been torpedoed and sunk by U-38 60 miles (97 km) west of the Scilly Isles.

On 21 June she and HMS Sandwich picked up 49 survivors from the British tanker SS San Fernando, that had been torpedoed by U-47 some 50 miles (80 km) south-south-west of Cape Clear.

She put to sea with the corvette HMS Bluebell on 16 October to come to the aid of Convoy SC 7 which was under heavy U-boat attack.

July to September was spent with the group, followed by another refit in Liverpool in October, when she was fitted with the Type 271 surface warning radar.

On 20 November she picked up 67 survivors from the British merchant SS Grangepark that had been torpedoed and sunk west of Gibraltar by U-263.

During this period the surrendered German U-boats were being collected in Loch Ryan prior to their destruction in Operation Deadlight.