She was named in honour of the Battle of the Gabbard, which occurred in 1653, and which resulted in an English victory over the Dutch Fleet.

[1] Upon commissioning, Gabbard joined the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Home Fleet based in the UK.

[2] In 1947, Gabbard, while on a visit to Malmö, Sweden, narrowly avoided collision with the ferry Malmohus out of Aarhus, Denmark.

In 1948 Gabbard took part in the Autumn Cruise, which included the two aircraft carriers Theseus and Vengeance, and three other smaller vessels.

She was refitted and modernized with funds made available by the United States Mutual Defence Assistance Programme and commissioned as PNS Badr (D-161).