She was steaming with the aircraft carrier Enterprise en route to Hawaii from TF 8 operations near Wake Island, when word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor reached her soon after 0900, 7 December 1941.

On 30 April TF 16, with Maury in the screen of the heavier ships, sortied from Pearl Harbor to aid Yorktown and Lexington in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

In that battle, which prevented Japanese reinforcements from reaching Guadalcanal, Enterprise, among others, was severely damaged and TF 16 was ordered to retire to the Tonga Islands, from which they returned to Pearl Harbor, arriving 10 September.

Operating from Nouméa and Espiritu Santo, she cruised on antisubmarine patrols and escorted carriers and convoys as American forces dug in on Guadalcanal and moved on against Munda, Rendova, Russell, Vella Lavella, and New Georgia.

At the end of August 1943, she departed for San Pedro and a 6-week availability period, returning to the combat area with TF 52 to support the invasions of Tarawa and Makin in the Gilbert Islands 20 November 1943.

First, they took part in the preinvasion bombardment of Saipan, raiding Guam and Rota during the same period, and then sailed north to strike at Iwo and Chichi Jimas and prevent Japanese reinforcements from reaching the Marianas from those islands.

During the next 9 weeks, with Maury still in the carrier screen, the force struck again at Iwo Jima and then moved on to support offensive operations against Peleliu, Ngesebu, Angaur, Yap, and Ulithi.

On the 25th, the Japanese were engaged off Cape Engaño and by the 27th their losses were increased by three cruisers and several destroyers, Maury spent most of November cruising the waters east of the Philippines in support of operations on Leyte and Samar.

Attached in mid-January to TG 78.12 for an abbreviated tour as convoy escort she rejoined TF 77 at the end of the month and until 10 February 1945 guarded Lingayen Gulf and its approaches.

She spent the next 6 weeks conducting training exercises in Hawaiian waters and then continued on, via San Diego and the Panama Canal, to New York, arriving 14 June.

Struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 November 1945, she was sold to Hugo Neu, New York, 13 June 1946; resold shortly thereafter to Northern Metal Co., Philadelphia, and scrapped by them at the end of the year.