The crew complement of the Storozhevoy class numbered 207 in peacetime, but this increased to 271 in wartime, as more personnel were needed to operate additional equipment.

Variations in fuel oil capacity meant that the range of the Project 7Us varied from 1,380 to 2,700 nautical miles (2,560 to 5,000 km; 1,590 to 3,110 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).

The ship was renamed Serdity on 25 September 1940 before acceptance by a state commission on 15 October, although she did not officially join the Baltic Fleet until 12 April 1941, when the Soviet naval jack was raised aboard her.

[6] She participated in an unsuccessful attack on a group of German landing craft off the mouth of the Daugava River on 13 July.

[9] Under the flag of Light Forces detachment commander Kontr-admiral Valentin Drozd, she and the destroyer Steregushchy covered minelaying by guard ships Tucha and Sneg on 18 July.

By 14:00 of that day she returned to the Kübasaar roadstead near Saaremaa, but quickly turned back after receiving a message that a German convoy had been spotted.

Due a lack of coordination with Soviet Naval Aviation, both destroyers came under friendly air attack and at 15:31 a bomb dropped by a Tupolev SB bomber exploded close to Serdity, killing one and wounding three sailors and knocking out a boiler and both rangefinders in the conning tower.

After escaping without serious damage from a German bombing raid on the return journey, Serdity anchored in Heltermaa roadstead off Hiiumaa by 19 July.

Efforts to raise steam proved futile and one of her boilers was destroyed by a bomb that penetrated the deck, knocking out power.