In World War II she took part in the Norwegian Campaign of April–May 1940 and the Battle of Dakar in September before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in November.

Beginning in November 1942, she was converted to an escort destroyer in the United Kingdom and was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on 1 March 1943.

The ship, now renamed HMCS Ottawa, was assigned to escort convoys in the North Atlantic until she was transferred in May 1944 to protect the forces involved with the Normandy Landings.

Working with other destroyers, Ottawa sank three German submarines off the French coast before she returned to Canada for a lengthy refit.

Griffin carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 5,530 nautical miles (10,240 km; 6,360 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[1] Griffin was laid down by Vickers-Armstrongs Naval Construction Works at Barrow-in-Furness on 20 September 1934, launched on 15 August 1935, and completed on 6 March 1936.

96 people were killed but Griffin attacked and chased away the submarine with depth charges and then rescued 766 survivors, whom she landed at Greenock on the Firth of Clyde on 9 October.

[5]Griffin escorted the capital ships of the Home Fleet as they sortied into the North Sea on 7 April and continued that duty for the next several weeks.

[8] On 26 April, Griffin and the destroyer Acheron captured the German trawler Schiff 26, bound for Narvik with a cargo that included guns, mines and ammunition.

[9] Griffin evacuated British and French troops from Namsos, and rescued survivors from the destroyer Afridi after she was sunk by Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers on 3 May.

[11] Griffin escorted the battleship Barham and the cruisers Berwick and Glasgow in Operation Coat in early November as they joined the Mediterranean Fleet.

Griffin herself was transferred to the 14th Destroyer Flotilla in Alexandria and took part in the inconclusive Battle of Cape Spartivento on 27 November in Operation Collar.

[16] Griffin, the Australian destroyer Stuart, and the gunboat Gnat bombarded Axis positions near Sollum in northwestern Egypt on 15 April.

[18] On 27 April Griffin rescued 50 survivors from the destroyers Diamond and Wryneck, which had been sunk by German aircraft in the Sea of Crete.

[11] During Operation Exporter, the ship escorted the Australian light cruiser Perth as she bombarded Vichy French positions in Lebanon on 2 July.

She escorted the light cruiser Naiad when that ship bombarded Derna in early December[22] and was transferred to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla later that month.

The 11th consisted of the Canadian destroyers Kootenay, Chaudière, Gatineau, and St. Laurent and were tasked to protect the invasion forces for D-Day.