She was named in honor of Storekeeper Second Class David H. Straus, Jr. born in Houston, Tex., on 13 August 1916, who was killed during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Straus was fitted out and held sea trials at Galveston, Texas, until 25 April when she sailed to Bermuda for her shakedown cruise.

The ship arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on 11 June and sailed for Panama the following week as an escort for the oiler USS Mississinewa.

The next day, Straus steamed for a rendezvous with the 3rd Fleet for refueling and replenishment operations, after which her unit returned to Saipan.

On 18 November, a report was received that enemy swimmers were moving from Eli Malk Island, under cover of darkness, toward Peleliu.

Straus provided star shell illumination while a landing craft flotilla attacked the swimmers with machine guns and eliminated them.

Straus was detached before the amphibious forces arrived to join two aircraft carriers that were steaming off Kyūshū with ready air support in case the Japanese offered resistance.

After port calls at Saipan and Pearl Harbor, the destroyer escort arrived at San Diego on 5 November 1945 to begin inactivation.

Straus remained inactive at the Naval Repair Base until 15 January 1947 when she was decommissioned and attached to the San Diego Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.