First assigned to the United States Battle Fleet in San Diego, California, "Tucker" operated along the West Coast and in the Hawaiian Islands. After participating in naval exercises in the Caribbean Sea, she returned to duty in Hawaii. She then went on a goodwill tour to New Zealand, returning to Hawaii and docking at Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7December 1941, "Tucker" was undergoing an overhaul and was not attacked. Soon afterward, she began escorting convoys between the West Coast and Hawaii. "Tucker" was then tasked with escort duty to islands in the South Pacific.