On 4 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway he led the second division of Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers when it pressed home an attack against Japanese carriers.

Without the protection of fighters or accompanying dive bombers, the pilots exposed themselves to overwhelming firepower; and every plane of the squadron was shot down.

Arriving on 22 September, she supported occupation landings, patrolled off southern Japanese islands, and served as courier and escort ship.

She conducted anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training out of Newport, Rhode Island; participated in destroyer maneuvers off the Florida coast; and served as escort and plane guard for the carrier Saipan in the Gulf of Mexico.

She cruised the Mediterranean from Algeria to Italy and supported U. S. efforts to settle the unstable situation in Trieste before returning to the United States on 21 December.

During this deployment, she patrolled the coast of Palestine, supported the evacuation of the U. N. Mediation Team in July, and helped to prevent the spread of conflict in the Middle East.

With the outbreak of war in Korea and increased tension in Europe and the Middle East, James C. Owens recommissioned on 20 September 1950 and commenced readiness and antisubmarine training operations.

In April 1956 she sailed with DesDiv 221 via Northern Europe for the Middle East to operate in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf.

She ranged the Mediterranean from Italy to Lebanon and transited Suez on 14 October for two months of patrol and convoy escort exercises in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.

During September she joined NATO forces in the North Atlantic for Operation "Swordthrust," which stressed both offensive and defensive naval tactics of atomic warfare.

In November she steamed to the Caribbean and patrolled the coasts of Nicaragua and Guatemala to intercept Cuban arms bound for Castro-oriented rebels.

After joining the ASW Defense Force 25 September, James C. Owens steamed to Charleston 11 January 1962, for an 8-month FRAM II overhaul that readied her for a new role in the modern Navy.

In September the destroyer was deployed with the 6th Fleet; and, while operating in the Aegean Sea, she was ordered to the scene of sinking Greek ferry Heraklion, where she helped rescue the crew.