On the outbreak of the Second World War, the 7th Flotilla moved to the Humber,[5] Duties included carrying out anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort missions in the North Sea, English Channel and the Western Approaches.

[1] On 6 September 1939, Jackal and sister ships Janus and Juno escorted the Norwegian steamer SS Batavia, carrying the staff of the British embassy in Berlin across the North Sea from Rotterdam to the Tongue lightship in the Thames estuary.

[5] On 28 February 1940, Jackal was badly damaged in a collision with the Swedish merchant ship Storfors (which was sunk), and was under repair at Blyth Shipbuilding Company, Northumberland until April 1940.

On 11 October Jackal, together with the battleship HMS Revenge and the destroyers Javelin, Jaguar, Jupiter, Kelvin, Kipling and Kashmir, shelled Cherbourg harbour.

[5] On 20 May, Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete, and Jackal sailed the next day for the region to intercept German attempts to carry out landings by sea.

[12][14] On 1 December 1941, Jackal, Jervis, Jaguar and Kipling were ordered to intercept three Italian destroyers that were reported to be off Derna, Libya.

[12] On 10 May 1942, the 14th Destroyer Flotilla, consisting of Jackal, Jervis, Kipling and Lively set out from Alexandria to intercept an Italian convoy sailing from Italy to Benghazi.

A first wave of German bombers, eight Junkers Ju 88s of I/Lehrgeschwader 1 (I/LG 1) based at Heraklion on Crete, arrived at about 16:31 hrs, sinking HMS Lively with 3 direct hits.

Kipling was quickly sunk by the attacks,[19] while Jackal was severely damaged by the bomber flown by Gerhard Brenner,[20] with one direct hit and three near misses.