"Donnell" sailed from Boston on 31 August 1943 for trans-Atlantic convoy duty. She guarded the safe passage of four convoys to Derry and return in the buildup for the invasion of Europe in June. At sea bound for Derry again on her fifth voyage, on 3 May 1944 "Donnell" made a sound contact, then sighted a periscope a few minutes later and pressed home a depth charge attack on . Simultaneously she was struck by a torpedo which blew off her stern. Explosion of her own depth charges inflicted additional damage on the escort. Her casualties were 29 killed and 25 wounded. Arriving after a 300-mile dash in response to a call from "Donnell", an 18-hour hunt by the 2nd Support Group under Captain Frederic John Walker began which brought "U-473" to the surface, where she was sunk by gunfire.