After shakedown,
John D. Edwards departed Philadelphia 14 May 1920 to patrol in
Turkish waters. With the
Near East in turmoil, the destroyer evacuated refugees and furnished communication facilities for that area. She remained in Turkish waters until she sailed 2 May 1921 for duty with the
Asiatic Squadron. off
Cavite, in the 1930s. Upon arrival at
Cavite, Philippines, 29 June,
Edwards immediately began patrols in the
Far East. She was to remain there for four years operating out of the Philippines in the winter and China during the summer. She aided victims of the Japanese
earthquake in 1923 and carried both food and rescue workers to
Yokohama. As the
Chinese Civil War flared in 1924, the destroyer was on station to protect the rights of the foreigners in China. She departed the Far East 18 May 1925, arriving New York 13 July. For the next three years, she operated out of
Norfolk, Virginia making periodic training cruises along the
United States East Coast and in the
Caribbean. Following a
Mediterranean cruise in late 1927,
Edwards transited the
Panama Canal and arrived at
San Pedro, California, for service in the Pacific. She operated along the
United States West Coast until 1 August 1929 when she sailed for the Far East, arriving Yokohama 26 August.
Edwards undertook a lengthy duty as part of the Asiatic Fleet. Operating out of the Philippines along the Chinese coast and off Japan, she guarded American interests during the
Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s, underwent training and battle practice, and operated with the
Yangtze River Patrol,
South China Sea Patrol, and the
Neutrality patrols.
World War II During the first two years of the 1940s,
John D. Edwards increased operations with
submarines in various training exercises. Shortly after the
commencement of hostilities with Japan 7 December 1941, she departed Balik-papan, Borneo, to search for survivors of . For the next two months she engaged in patrol, escort, and antisubmarine warfare operations in an attempt to halt the southward advance of powerful Japanese forces from the Philippines into the
Netherlands East Indies. Assigned to Destroyer Squadron 29, she departed
Bunda Roads,
Madura Island, 4 February 1942. As part of a cruiser-destroyer striking force, she sailed for
Makassar Strait to intercept a reinforced Japanese convoy heading for the
Java Sea. That morning, Japanese bombers attacked the ships as the striking force steamed north of
Bali. Despite antiaircraft fire, the planes carried out several attacks which heavily damaged and . Following the attack,
Edwards escorted the damaged cruisers via
Lombok Strait to
Tjilatjap on the southern coast of
Java. The Japanese continued their push southward during the month of February. In mid-February,
Edwards took part in the unsuccessful attempt to intercept a Japanese invasion convoy off
Banka Strait in
Palembang,
Sumatra. Following this action, she steamed to the eastern coast of Bali to attack a Japanese destroyer-transport force in
Badoeng Strait. During the early hours of 20 February,
Edwards, accompanied by three other destroyers, engaged Japanese destroyers in a torpedo and gunfire battle that heavily damaged . The American destroyers returned to Surabaya, Java, later that day. As part of the
American-British-Dutch-Australian Command under
Rear Admiral Karel Doorman, RN,
Edwards engaged the Japanese Java Invasion Force 27 February in the
Battle of the Java Sea; this engagement lasted for 7 hours. The Allies suffered a heavy defeat, losing a total of 5 ships in this battle (a further five were sunk in associated actions); the Japanese were able to invade and conquer Java. After expending all torpedoes during the battle,
Edwards returned to Surabaya to refuel. Accompanied by three other four-pipers, she departed for Australia after dark 28 February. While transiting
Bali Strait during midwatch 1 March, the destroyers fought a brief duel with patrolling Japanese ships. Lacking torpedoes and low on ammunition, the American ships retreated, opened range and steamed southward for
Fremantle where they arrived early in March. For the next two months,
Edwards escorted convoys out of Australia before arriving
Pearl Harbor 1 June. She escorted convoys from Pearl Harbor to
San Francisco, California until 15 June 1943 when she arrived at
Brooklyn, New York to commence escort duty in the Atlantic. The destroyer cruised along the U.S. East Coast and to
North Africa escorting supply ships during the next nine months. For the rest of the war,
Edwards escorted convoys in the Atlantic and trained submarines off the Canal Zone. Following the end of the conflict in Europe the destroyer arrived at Philadelphia 15 June 1945 and decommissioned there 28 July 1945.
Edwards was sold to Boston Metal Company,
Baltimore, Maryland, 30 November 1945. ==Awards==