McFarland was laid down on 31 July 1918 and launched on 30 March 1920 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation; sponsored by Miss Louisa Hughes; and commissioned on 30 September 1920.

Returning to the United States only once (8 July to 22 October 1922), McFarland remained in the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean area until spring 1923.

She cruised regularly to Black Sea and Anatolian ports, distributing American relief supplies to Russian, Greek, and Turkish refugees and providing transportation, mail, and communications facilities.

McFarland was heavily damaged during the early morning of 19 September 1923 after being rammed on the port side forward of her bridge by the battleship Arkansas during night maneuvers off of the Cape Cod Canal.

The training exercise was being undertaken by Arkansas, the battleship Florida, the auxiliary ship Antares and a flotilla of a dozen destroyers.

In August, as the Guadalcanal offensive neared, she assumed tender duties in the Espiritu Santo – Santa Cruz Islands area.

On 16 October, McFarland was unloading cargo and embarking wounded personnel in Lunga Roads when she was attacked by nine dive bombers.

Redesignated DD-237 on 1 December 1943, and homeported at San Diego, California for the remainder of the war, she operated with aircraft carriers as they conducted training exercises and pilot qualification landings.