On 26 June 1941, "Mărăști" helped repel a Soviet naval attack against the main Romanian port of Constanța, together with the destroyer "Regina Maria" and the minelayer "Amiral Murgescu". Surprised by the level of resistance and the accuracy of the return fire, the Soviet fleet withdrew, losing the destroyer leader "Moskva" into a Romanian minefield, laid by the Romanian minelayers "Amiral Murgescu", "Regele Carol I" and "Aurora" on 19 June that year. "Amiral Murgescu" claimed to have shot down two Soviet aircraft during the battle and "Mărăști" claimed one.