She was named for United States Marine Corps Corporal John H. Pruitt, a World War I Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in action Western Front on 4 October 1918[1][2] during the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge.

[2] After completing these duties, Pruitt spent most of the 1920s operating in the United States Asiatic Fleet in the western Pacific Ocean, protecting American interests in the East Asia.

[1][2] Her pattern of operations was to spend winters in the Philippine Islands and summers along the coast of China,[2] including service on the Yangtze Patrol in October 1926, from March to June 1927, and in August 1927.

[3] In 1935 Lieutenant (junior grade) Richard O'Kane, who later would be awarded the Medal of Honor as the most successful U.S. submarine officer of World War II, reported for duty aboard Pruitt.

At the end of January 1942, Pruitt completed overhaul and took up offshore patrol and minelaying duties with the Hawaiian Sea Frontier until June 1942.

On 19 June 1942, she departed Hawaii for Bremerton, Washington, from which she steamed to the Aleutian Islands for minelaying operations and escort assignments from a base at Kodiak, Alaska.

Later shifting to Holtz Bay on Attu's northeast coast, she continued to perform patrol duties and to escort smaller craft from Amchitka and Adak until the battle ended on 30 May 1943.

[1] Pruitt returned to San Francisco on 18 July 1944, underwent overhaul, and in October 1944 steamed to Pearl Harbor, where she began submarine training operations.