Stockton was laid down on 24 July 1942 at Kearny, New Jersey, by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. and launched on 11 November 1942 sponsored by Mrs. Horace K. Corbin.

On her last convoy run, she escorted two oilers to Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, in company with Thorn — the first ships to enter the port under the terms of the new agreement between the Allies and the government of Portugal.

She participated in the initial bombardment that cleared the way for the landings on 29 February and remained in the area for three days, patrolling and giving fire support to the forces ashore.

On 21 February, two days after the landings, Stockton's group was attacked by four suicide planes, which sank the escort carrier Bismarck Sea, and damaged Lunga Point.

From 18 March to the end of the war, the destroyer escorted replenishment units of the Logistics Support Group as they provided fuel and supplies to the Fleet during the Okinawa campaign and the concurrent air strikes on the Ryukyus and the Japanese home islands.