Tattnall was laid down at Camden, New Jersey, on 1 December 1917 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation; launched on 5 September 1918; sponsored by Miss Sarah Campbell Kollock; and commissioned on 26 June 1919.

On 1 January 1934, the destroyer resumed a more active role with the Fleet when she began a year of duty with the Scouting Force Training Squadron.

Early in July 1943, the destroyer escorted her last Caribbean convoy north from the Windward Passage to Charleston, South Carolina.

Following post-shakedown repairs and alterations in late September, the high-speed transport began amphibious training—first, at Cove Point, Maryland, and later, at Fort Pierce, Florida.

On 13 April, she departed the U.S. East Coast for Oran, Algeria, in company with Roper, Barry, Greene, and Osmond Ingram.

TransDiv 13 joined the 8th Fleet at the end of April, and Tattnall moved to Corsica to practice for her first assignment, the capture of Elba and Pianosa Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The reinforcements never reached Monte Cassino; and, on the following day, German radio announced an Allied invasion north of Rome.

After the landings in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the high-speed transport began convoy duty between Italian, Sicilian, and North African ports.

Following that duty, she resumed amphibious operations, this time with members of the American-Canadian 1st Special Service Force embarked.

Their mission was to capture the heavily fortified Hyeres Islands, located just east of Toulon, and hold them during the main landings in the invasion of southern France.

During the next two weeks, Tattnall and her sister transports shuttled reinforcements and supplies into southern France and evacuated Allied wounded and German prisoners of war.

Tattnall returned to the United States at Norfolk on 21 December and began a month-long availability period before heading for the Pacific.

After transiting the Panama Canal early in February and making stops at San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, and Ulithi, the fast transport reached the Okinawa area on 19 April.

During that time, she stood guard on several of the screen stations which circled Okinawa to protect the units of the fleet from attack by kamikazes.

A twin-engined plane crossed Tattnall's stern from about 3,000 yards, and her 40 mm gun crews opened fire.