Denver reported at New York on 22 July 1917 for duty escorting merchant convoys out of New York and Norfolk, Virginia, to a mid-ocean meeting point where destroyers took over the task of convoying men and troops to ports in England and France. Before the close of World War I, Denver made eight such voyages. Crewmembers serving on Denver between 22 August 1917 and 3 November 1918 qualified for the World War I Victory Medal with Escort clasp.
