Hotspur participated in the Battle of Cape Matapan in March and evacuated British and Australian troops from both Greece and Crete in April–May.

Hotspur did not see any action during the Japanese Indian Ocean raid in April, but she did escort an aircraft carrier in September during the later stages of the invasion of Madagascar.

After a lengthy refit in late 1944, Hotspur escorted convoys in the Irish Sea until the end of the Second World War in May 1945.

After the death of Rafael Trujillo, who ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961, the ship was renamed Duarte in 1962, and finally was sold for scrap in 1972.

Hotspur 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).

[4] Hotspur was laid down by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Greenock, Scotland on 27 February 1935, launched on 23 March 1936 and completed on 29 December 1936.

[6] She sailed later that month for the Mediterranean, but, once she reached Gibraltar, she was diverted to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to search for German commerce raiders.

The ship was transferred to the North America and West Indies Station in October and was refitted in Sheerness between 18 January and 6 March 1940.

The mines were laid on the early morning of 8 April, before the Germans began their invasion, and the destroyers joined the battlecruiser Renown and her escorts.

Hotspur did eventually move forward and fired four torpedoes into Narvik harbour, sinking at least two merchant ships.

Hunter eventually took the lead, but was severely damaged by the Germans, probably including one torpedo hit, and her speed dropped rapidly.

When the ships managed to disengage, Hunter capsized and Hotspur moved ahead slowly, engaged by all five German destroyers.

Hostile laid a smoke screen that allowed Hotspur to escape while Havock engaged the German ships.

Hostile escorted the badly damaged Hotspur to the repair base set up at Flakstadøya in the Lofoten Islands.

[9] On 11 September, the ship spotted the Vichy French cruisers Georges Leygues, Gloire and Montcalm and three escorting destroyers en route from Toulon to Gabon.

[10] On 20 October, Hotspur, the destroyer Griffin and her sister Gallant sank the Italian submarine Lafolè east of Gibraltar.

After refuelling in Alexandria on 23 April, Hotspur sailed for Greece to begin evacuating British and Australian troops from the beaches.

During the evacuation of Crete Hotspur had to scuttle the destroyer Imperial on 29 May after the latter ship's steering had been disabled by a near miss by a bomb.

[12] The ship escorted the LSI(L) Glengyle during the opening stage of the Syria-Lebanon Campaign of June 1941 and also hunted for French submarines.

[4] Hotspur was briefly assigned to the Rosyth Escort Force before being transferred to the Derry Training Squadron in August.