There she screened and on fire support missions, shot down an enemy plane, and escorted troop ships to Safi, French Morocco. Kearny departed the invasion theater and escorted a convoy back to New York, arriving 3 December 1942. Through most of 1943, Kearny escorted ships to Port of Spain, Trinidad; Recife, Brazil; and Casablanca. On 25 November 1943, Kearny joined the "hunter-killer" task group based on the escort carrier on 25 November. During the day of 1 January 1944, in coordination with Cores planes, Kearny fired a depth charge attack on a submarine resulting in a large oil slick. She returned to New York 18 January. Next month Kearny joined the Eighth Fleet in French Algeria. On 10 March, she was attached to the cruiser in a group providing fire support for the U.S. 5th Army in Italy. Due to their daily fire-support trips to the Anzio beachhead area, the warships became known as the "Anzio Express." They were commended by the Fifth Army commander, General Mark W. Clark, for this fire support. Kearny was detached from the group the beginning of June and steamed to Anzio alone to give Allied troops their last naval fire support prior to their breakthrough and capture of Rome. The veteran destroyer saw more convoy duty before sailing for the invasion of southern France on 15 August. Kearny was inner fire support ship for Red Beach in Cavalaire Bay, and rendered counter-battery fire and pre-H-hour bombardment. She screened heavy fire support ships and laid smoke screens off Toulon. On 19 August 1944, she began two months of duty escorting troopships between Naples and southern France. Afterward, Kearny made several trans-Atlantic voyages between New York and Oran. On 6 August 1945, Kearny transited the Panama Canal to the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor late in August after hostilities had ended. She escorted a transport squadron carrying occupation troops to Japan via Saipan, arriving at Wakayama, Japan, 27 September. During the next month Kearny made voyages to the Philippines and Okinawa before returning to Japan in October. She sailed from Wakayama, Japan, 29 October 1945, for home via Pearl Harbor, San Diego, and the Panama Canal, arriving Charleston, South Carolina, 5 December 1945. She decommissioned there 7 March 1946, and went into reserve. Kearny was subsequently moved to Orange, Texas. The ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1971, sold 6 October