21 July 1941, she sailed from Newport to escort transports carrying the first Marines to the occupation of Iceland, and a month later sailed to base at Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland for escort duty to Iceland and to mid-ocean rendezvous. Returning at intervals to Boston for replenishment and repairs, she served thus until March 1942, when her operations were extended to the Virgin Islands. She escorted coastal convoys, on 15 July 1942 attacking a submarine off Cape Hatteras. From October 1942, she also guarded convoy routes between Trinidad and Brazil, and in March 1943 was assigned to transatlantic convoys. On 12 October 1942, Ellis picked up the only German survivor of , Matrosengefreiter Franz Machen who had been floating on a raft for ten days, and held him in captivity. Between 20 March 1943 and 25 June, Ellis escorted two top priority tanker convoys with Aruba oil for North Africa, then troop transports to Derry. From August to November, she twice guarded escort carriers ferrying Army planes to Ireland and North Africa. Ellis escorted to the Azores in January 1944, and while on patrol there rescued two downed British pilots. Returning to North African convoy duty, Ellis made two voyages from the east coast to Casablanca, Algiers, and Bizerte between February and June. On 11 May, off Bizerte, she was attacked by four bombers, three of which she had a hand in shooting down, and drove the fourth away. The remainder of the war, Ellis guarded carriers training pilots, experimented with torpedo aircraft, twice made escort voyages to Recife, Brazil. She was decommissioned at Norfolk on 31 October 1945 and sold on 20 June 1947. Convoys escorted Awards Ellis received one battle star for World War II service. References External links NavSource Photos Wickes-class destroyers World War II destroyers of the United States Ships built by William Cramp & Sons 1918 ships