"Yavuz" remained in service throughout World War II. In November 1939 she and "Parizhskaya Kommuna" were the only capital ships in the Black Sea region, and "Life" magazine reported that "Yavuz" was superior to the Soviet ship because the latter was in poor condition. In 1941, her anti-aircraft battery was strengthened to four guns, ten guns, and four guns. These were later increased to twenty-two 40 mm guns and twenty-four 20 mm guns. On 5 April 1946, the American battleship , light cruiser , and destroyer arrived in Istanbul to return the remains of Turkish ambassador Münir Ertegün. "Yavuz" greeted the ships in the Bosphorus, where she and "Missouri" exchanged 19-gun salutes.