"Breckinridge" operated under Commander, Caribbean Sea Frontier, on patrol and escort duties until December 1943 when she was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. She joined TG 21.13, a hunter-killer group on 14 January 1944 for mid-Atlantic anti submarine sweeps. Returning to Norfolk 27 February after an uneventful operation, TG 21.13 was dissolved and "Breckinridge" proceeded to Boston for . On 22 March 1944 she returned to Norfolk and reported to TF 6 to escort a convoy across the Atlantic. Departing on 24 March 1944, the convoy reached the Mediterranean Sea with no interference. However, on the night of 11/12 April numerous German aircraft attacked the convoy inflicting damage to .