"Tulsa" served in the Pacific during World War II. The majority of her service was in escorting convoys, but she was also deployed in support of landings around Hollandia and the Wakde in New Guinea. She was attacked on 20 January 1943 by six Japanese bombers. In the short, sharp action which followed, the ship's crew utilized "Tulsa"s 3 in (76 mm) main gun and 20 mm (0.79 in) antiaircraft battery to drive off the attackers with no damage to their ship, while dodging 12 bombs. She was decommissioned on 6 March 1946, and then struck from the navy list on 17 April. In October 1946, she was turned over to the War Shipping Administration to be broken up. Her 300 lb (136.08 kg) bell was placed in the Naval and Marine Corps Training Center in Tulsa, and fell from its mooring in 1953. This incident led to research on the safety of such heavy bells being used.