"Radford" participated in the Battle of Kula Gulf and the Battle of Kolombangara in July 1943. She engaged in an offensive sweep against the Tokyo Express, and received Presidential Unit Citation for the rescue of 468 survivors from the cruiser , which had been sunk at Kula Gulf. "Radford" depth charged and sank the , which had previously sunk "Radford"s near-sister ship and the aircraft carrier , on 25 November 1943. The destroyer was damaged by a Japanese mine while supporting the liberation of Luzon in December 1944 and received a Presidential Unit Citation from the Philippine government. The ship was decommissioned on 17 January 1946 and placed in reserve at San Francisco.