Paul Hamilton was laid down 20 January 1943 by the Charleston Navy Yard; launched 7 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. William Dewar Gordon; and commissioned 25 October 1943.

Following shakedown off Bermuda, Paul Hamilton served in lower Chesapeake Bay, out of Norfolk, Va., as a destroyer training unit 8 January to 19 April 1944.

She departed Norfolk 25 April and steamed via Aruba, Dutch West Indies, and the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where she arrived 21 May 1944.

From 1 September to 3 October, Paul Hamilton served as a screening vessel for the replenishment aircraft and fueling groups that serviced the 3d Fleet during the capture of the southern Palau Islands.

Paul Hamilton reported to the Pacific Reserve Fleet 24 September 1945 and remained inactive until struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 May 1968.