Although mortally wounded in action in the Guadalcanal Campaign on 5 October 1942, Conklin remained at his gun until he could no longer man it, then disassembled it and scattered its parts so as to make it useless to the enemy before he died.

She put to sea again from Pearl Harbor 9 September for convoy escort duty between Kwajalein and Eniwetok until 3 October, when she arrived at Guam to serve as planeguard.

After repairs to her sound gear at Eniwetok, she patrolled on anti-submarine duty off Saipan until 6 November, when she cleared for Ulithi and Leyte, guarding a convoy of reinforcement troops and supplies.

Reaching Leyte on 14 November 1944, Conklin cleared the same day to join a hunter-killer group operating off the western entrance to Kossol Passage.

Her duties included transferring passengers, mail, and freight, serving as planeguard, and escorting ships of the group to replenishment at Guam and Ulithi.