The contract for the construction of Willard Keith (DE-754)—a Cannon-class destroyer escort whose keel had been laid down on 14 September 1943 at San Pedro, California, by the Western Pipe and Steel Company—was cancelled on 2 October 1943.

The contract for the construction of Willard Keith (DE-314) —an Evarts-class destroyer escort laid down on 22 January 1944 at Vallejo, California, by the Mare Island Navy Yard—was cancelled on 13 March 1944.

[1] Completing that tour of training duty in mid-April 1945, Willard Keith sailed for the Western Pacific on 16 April, heading for Pearl Harbor in company with the cruiser Atlanta and Tillman.

Willard Keith rendezvoused with her sister ships in Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 66, and sailed east, reaching the US west coast in time to spend Christmas at San Diego, California Subsequently, Willard Keith proceeded down the west coast; transited the Panama Canal; crossed the Gulf of Mexico and then proceeded around the tip of Florida, bound for New York City.

After operations in the British West Indies area, Willard Keith returned to Norfolk, Virginia, from whence she escorted the battleships Washington and North Carolina to Culebra, Puerto Rico, for shore bombardment exercises.

The destroyer then returned to Norfolk as part of the screen for the battlewagons, before she drew another escort assignment, this time with the aircraft carrier Philippine Sea.

Conducting exercises and maneuvers en route, the carrier and her consorts reached Guantanamo Bay for training before returning northward and putting into Newport.

For the remainder of the spring months, Willard Keith cruised routinely between Newport and Key West, carrying out training duties off the eastern seaboard.

Subsequently, pushing on to Guantanamo Bay, acting as plane guard for the fleet carrier Intrepid en route, Willard Keith reached her destination on 13 January 1951 to commence her shakedown soon thereafter.

From November 1951 to February 1952, Willard Keith operated in company with John W. Weeks as a unit of the Northern European Force under the overall command of Rear Admiral W. F. Boone.

While in northern European waters, Willard Keith joining the efforts to save the crippled SS Flying Enterprise before it broke apart and sank in heavy seas; the two-week incident gaining international attention.

She departed her home port nine days into the new year, though, setting sail for Pensacola, Florida, assigned as plane guard for the light carrier Monterey.

En route, however, an urgent message from Commandant, 6th Naval District, directed the ship to proceed to a rendezvous with an LST which had a Marine sergeant on board who was stricken with appendicitis.

After repairs and alterations at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from 11 February to 27 May, Willard Keith conducted refresher training out of Guantanamo Bay after first stopping at Norfolk en route.

In company with James C. Owens, Willard Keith performed plane guard services for two weeks with the Australian aircraft carrier, HMAS Sydney, as that ship conducted flight operations.

The ship took part in the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959—during which Willard Keith escorted the royal yacht HMY Britannia with Queen Elizabeth II on board.

She ranged from the eastern seaboard to Guantanamo Bay as an NRT destroyer, providing the platform for training necessary to maintain a skilled pool of reservists ready for any eventuality.