For much of the war, the destroyer escorted merchant ships in convoys and Royal Navy warships, but was also involved in the rescue of crew from the battleship HMS King Edward VII in 1916.

The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and, although the eventual design did not achieve this, the greater performance was appreciated by the navy.

[13] After the battleship King Edward VII had struck a mine on 10 January 1916 off the northern Scottish coast, Marne was one of twelve destroyers that came to the stricken ship's aid.

[15] The flotilla formed part of the support for the Grand Fleet in their response to the German bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft which took place on that day.

[18] The flotilla then formed close to the dreadnought battleship King George V when the two fleets converged on 31 May, providing part of the screen for the British battle line.

[22] In return, the destroyer received a hit from a 4.1-inch (100 mm) shell on the upper deck aft which failed to explode.

The destroyers at Buncrana assisted convoys arriving across the Atlantic Ocean from the American industrial complex at Hampton Roads and via Sydney, Nova Scotia, or departing ports on the Clyde and Mersey.

[26] The Division also provided three escorts every eight days to protect fast convoys travelling to and from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

[29][30] On 20 July, the destroyer, along with sister ships Milbrook and Pigeon, successfully drove the German submarine UB-124 to the surface with depth charges.

[31] After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money.