The Dewey was launched on 28 July 1934 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, sponsored by Miss A. M. Dewey, great-grandniece of Admiral Dewey.
After two training cruises to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the Dewey sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on 1 April 1935 for San Diego, California, arriving on 14 April.