The AULT was built by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey. It was launched on 26 March 1944 with Mrs. William Bowen Ault of Norfolk, Virginia serving as sponsor.
Commander Joseph C. Wylie Jr., USN placed the AULT in commission at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as her first Commanding Officer on 31 May 1944.
After shakedown in Bermuda and post shakedown availability, the AULT joined the Pacific Fleet in September, proceeded to Pearl Harbor for brief advance training and joined Task Force 38 in time for a succession of strikes and supporting sweeps off the Phillipines, China Coast, Formosa and Okinawa.
As a part of Task Force 58, the AULT struck the Tokyo Area, supporting our landings at Iwo Jima and returned for another blow at Okinawa.
With her advance base at Ulithi Atoll the AULT was a part of the force which sortied 18 March 1945 for strikes against Kyushu, Japan where the U.S.S. FRANKLIN and the U.S.S. WASP were struck by suicide planes. The AULT shot down two of them.
Shore bombardment operations off Okinawa were followed by convoying support in the area, during which the U.S.S. HANCOCK and the U.S.S. BUNKER HILL were hit by kamikaze planes.
The AULT accounted for an estimated seven Japanese planes during her Okinawa support, keeping the sea for a then - record total of 80 days.
Following the trials of demobilization and major overhaul, the AULT was returned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet in January of 1947. There she remained, primarily as a school ship in New Orleans until lack of operating funds forced her decommissioning in May 1950 and deactivation in Norfolk. She was subsequently towed to Charleston for berthing with other "mothballed" destroyers.
September 1950 saw the beginning of reactivation. On 15 November 1950, Commander H. Marvin-Smith USN, accepted command of the AULT as she was officially re-commissioned and designated division flagship of Destroyer Division 222, in ceremonies at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. Training and overhaul activities continued through September 1951 when the AULT departed for duty in the Mediterranean where she operated until late January 1952 with various units of the U.S. and Allied Fleets. Many calls were made in out-of-the-way ports and large ports on detached duty and by January 1952 the AULT was rather well known.
On March 15, 1952 in Norfolk, Va. Commander Marvin-Smith was relieved as commanding officer by Commander William P. Flanagan, USN. A few days later the ship was on her way to the Carribean gunnery and torpedo exercises. Upon returning to Norfolk in April more type training was scheduled and on 2 June 1952 the AULT proceeded to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis to pick up midshipmen, and to join cruise ABLE of the 1952 Midshipman Practice Squadron. After visiting England, France and Guantanamo Bay, cruise ABLE ended in Norfolk, Va. early in August and the ship resumed type training exercises. Upon returning from the Carribean on 1 March 1953 she proceeded to the Charleston, S.C. Naval Shipyard where a major overhaul was conducted until July 1953.
On 2 November 1953 the AULT departed Norfolk, Va. in company with the other three ships of DesDiv 222 and after stopping at Panama, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, and Midway Islands arrived at Yokosuka, Japan on 6 December 1953 and reported for duty.