On 14 December the destroyer departed from Philadelphia; steamed to Melville, Rhode Island, for torpedo outfit; then proceeded to New York.

In mid-August, she steamed for the Baltic; called at various ports on that sea, despite the still present danger of mines, and returned to Cherbourg on 27 September.

From the 8th to the 19th, she supported relief work in that city, then proceeded to Samsun where, with one interruption to retrieve a drifting barge near Inebole, she remained until 8 March.

Two days later, she returned to Constantinople; and, on the 18th, she shifted to Selvi Bournu to assist in firefighting efforts in the oil storage area.

In early June, she was at Trabzon; and, on the 4th, she arrived at Samsun where, for several days, she steamed off the harbor entrance as Greek and Turkish forces exchanged fire.

By late December, she had joined the Scouting Fleet at New York; and, on 3 January 1923, she departed from that city for winter maneuvers in the Caribbean.

By mid-November, she was back in southern California, where she remained, with one interruption – Fleet Problem XVI in the North Pacific (May 1935) – until April 1936.

She then returned to the east coast; participated in exercises in the Caribbean and off New England; and steamed back to San Diego in October.

Recommissioned on 26 September 1939, Sands departed the west coast on 13 November and, a little over a month later, took up patrol duty in the Caribbean.

She remained there into the spring of 1940, then moved north for patrol and escort duty off the eastern seaboard from the Virginia Capes to the Maritime Provinces.

With the entry of the United States into World War II, Sands commenced coastal escort work, which continued into the spring of 1942.

Steaming west, she reached Pearl Harbor at the end of the year; conducted exercises into January 1943; and, on the 8th, resumed her Pacific crossing.

Rendezvousing the next morning, the tug took the damaged cruiser in tow, and Sands joined Chicago's escort of five destroyers in a circular screen.

Antiaircraft guns on Sands and the destroyers were fired at the intruders, but Chicago was hit by another torpedo and, 20 minutes later, sank.

After the occupation of the Russells, Sands continued to carry troops and supplies and to escort convoys in the New Caledonia-New Hebrides-Solomons area.

By September, the forces were ready to move against Japanese positions on the Huon Peninsula and contest control of Vitiaz and Dampier Straits.

On 2 September, Sands embarked units of the 9th Australian Division, veterans of the North African desert and, two days later, landed them east of Lae.

On the 5th, she retired, returning a few days later to shell the Japanese garrison at Lae as Allied forces closed on that village from the jungle and from mangrove swamps.

Reinforcement-escort runs and amphibious exercises along the coast, from Port Moresby to the Huon Peninsula and between Papua and offshore islands, occupied October and November.

On the 26th, she landed marines on Cape Gloucester, provided gunfire support as they moved off the beaches, then retired to stage for her next target, Saidor.

A unit of Task Group 76.1, she transited Vitiaz Strait that night and, at 0735 on the 2nd, landed the troops on the beach at Saidor, 115 miles west of Finschhafen.

From 6 to 24 February, she completed another run to Sydney; then, on the 27th, loaded troops at Cape Sudest for transport to the assault beaches at Los Negros Island, Admiralties.

Sailing on the 29th, she crossed the Bismarck Sea; arrived off the assault area shortly after 0730 the next day; dispatched her loaded LCP(R)s to the departure line by 0742; then, as the first waves reached the shore, commenced gunfire support operations.

Returning to Cape Sudest, she loaded much-needed reinforcements on 3 March and, the next day, disembarked them on the contested island and took on casualties.

Steaming with TG 77.2, the Central Attack Group for the Hollandia operation, she arrived in the transport area early on the morning of the 22nd.

After an overhaul at Alameda, Sands carried passengers to Pearl Harbor; embarked 126 men of the 81st Division Reconnaissance Company there, and arrived in the Solomons on 24 August to rehearse the Palau operation.

Arriving on the 28th, she shifted to Manus on the 29th; equipped her boats with mine-sweeping gear, embarked minesweeping personnel, and, on 10 October, steamed for Leyte with units of Mine Squadron 2.

Despite poor weather and two appendectomies which were performed aboard ship, Sands arrived in the approaches to Leyte Gulf on the 17th.

On 1 March, she joined a convoy for Iwo Jima, arrived on the 3rd, patrolled through the 5th, and sailed for Saipan on the 6th, escorting retiring transports.