Mohawk returned home shortly after the start of the Second World War and was assigned convoy escort duties, during which she was damaged by German bombers.

The ship was assigned to the 14th Destroyer Flotilla (DF) of the Mediterranean Fleet in June and began escorting convoys to Malta and Greece.

[5] The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 5,700 nautical miles (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[6] The primary armament of the Tribal-class destroyers was eight quick-firing (QF) 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark XII guns in four superfiring twin-gun mounts, one pair each fore and aft of the superstructure, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear.

[11] To increase the firing arcs of the AA guns, the rear funnel was shortened and the mainmast was reduced to a short pole mast.

Launched on 5 October 1937, Mohawk was completed on 7 September 1938 and commissioned two days later at a cost of £339,585 which excluded weapons and communications outfits furnished by the Admiralty.

At the end of the month, Mohawk ferried the British Ambassador to Turkey back to Istanbul from his annual visit to the Helles Memorial and then cruised through the Aegean Sea before returning to Malta.

By July 7 tensions had decreased such that Mohawk and her sisters Gurkha, Afridi, and Sikh were able to escort the aircraft carrier Glorious on a visit to Athens, Greece.

As Italy took steps to prove her neutrality, the destroyers were released from their mission and returned to Alexandria where they began escorting convoys and conducting contraband inspections of non-British ships.

Near-missing the ship, the bombs detonated on impacting the water and sprayed splinters all along its upper deck, killing 15 men and wounding 30.

The 4th DF was then allocated to Plan R 4, a preemptive occupation of cities in western Norway after a German invasion had begun, and was tasked to escort the troop-laden ships of the 1st Cruiser Squadron to Bergen and Stavanger.

[20] After refuelling at Scapa Flow the following day, Mohawk, five of her sisters and two light cruisers departed on the evening of 11 April, arriving off Stadlandet the following morning.

The following morning they were ordered north to the Namsos area to examine its suitability for an Allied landing and to coordinate with local Norwegian forces.

The Admiralty ordered that the 148th Infantry Brigade, already at sea, to be diverted to the anchorage at Lillesjona; its troopships arrived there at dawn on 16 April and began transferring their troops to the destroyers after they had completed refuelling.

[21] Mohawk and four other destroyers escorted a small supply convoy to Åndalsnes and Molde that was so heavily attacked by the Luftwaffe on 27 April that they had to abort their mission before two of the ships could complete their unloading.

[22] En route to Alexandria, the ship suffered steering problems and had to divert to Gibraltar for repairs, finally arriving on 29 May to joint the 14th DF.

Mohawk and Nubian, together with the destroyers Hero and Hostile, were ordered to Gibraltar on 22 August where they were to temporarily join Force H to escort reinforcements for the Mediterranean Fleet as part of Operation Hats.

Nubian had engine problems that forced her to put into Malta for repairs while Hostile struck an Italian mine en route the following day off Cap Bon that broke her back.

Three days later, the 14th DF, including Mohawk, bombarded the airfield at Sidi Barrani and nearby targets; the ship returned on 25 September, attacking truck concentrations.

While the bulk of the Mediterranean Fleet covered the aircraft carrier Illustrious as her aircraft attack the Italian Fleet in Taranto on the night of 11/12 November, Vice-Admiral Henry Pridham-Wippell took three light cruisers, escorted by Mohawk and Nubian turned north to attack Italian shipping in the southern Adriatic Sea.

They encountered a small convoy of four ships, escorted by the auxiliary cruiser Ramb III and the torpedo boat Nicola Fabrizi.

Mohawk was the first to open fire, claiming a hit on Ramb III and then one on the torpedo boat, although both ships were able to break contact.

After refuelling she departed to go to the assistance of the light cruisers Southampton and Gloucester which had been attacked by German Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers.

The flotilla arrived at Malta on 10/11 April with orders to interdict the Italian supply convoys between Italy and Libya at night.

[27] Mohawk and Nubian were in the rear of the formation and engaged the rearmost freighter, SS Sabaudia, which was carrying a load of ammunition, causing an explosion and setting her on fire.

The first of these struck Mohawk just after she had turned to avoid being rammed by the freighter SS Arta as the destroyer passed through the convoy shortly after 02:45.