[1] On 30 January 1944, while escorting Convoy JW 56B to Murmansk, Virago rescued 78 men from the stricken HMS Hardy, whose stern had been blown off by an acoustic torpedo (resulting in 35 casualties).

On 3 April 1944 Virago escorted the carrier HMS Searcher during Operation Tungsten, which was an inconclusive air attack on the German battleship Tirpitz at her base in Kaafjord in the far north of Norway.

[3] Virago remained off the coast of Normandy at various stations providing support for the invasion force until 6 July, when she departed and resumed operations off Norway and with the Arctic convoys through the end of September.

Virago subsequently participated in the Battle of the Malacca Strait with Saumarez, Verulam, Venus and Vigilant which culminated in the sinking of the Japanese heavy cruiser Haguro in the early morning of 16 May 1945.

As the two ships closed, they were suddenly bombed by Japanese aircraft in a surprise attack and splinters from a near miss killed five of Virago's crew (Hunter was unscathed).

Virago subsequently participated in preparations for Operation Zipper (the invasion of Malaya) in July/August 1945, and its eventual execution as a reoccupation manoeuvre in September 1945 following the surrender of Japan.

On 2 August 1946 the British oil tanker Empire Cross exploded, burned and sank in Haifa Roads, Palestine, killing 25 people.