USS England, a 1400-ton Buckley class escort ship, was built at San Francisco, California. Commissioned in December 1943, she was assigned to escort and patrol duty in the south Pacific area early in 1944. Between 19 and 26 May 1944, while serving as part of an anti-submarine hunter-killer group, England sank the Japanese submarines I-16, RO-106, RO-104, RO-116 and RO-108. A few days later, she joined other ships in destroying a sixth enemy submarine, RO-105. This impressive feat, facilitated by poor Japanese Navy communications security, remains unsurpassed in U.S. Navy history and earned England a Presidential Unit Citation. It also prompted Admiral Ernest J. King, the Chief of Naval Operations and Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet, to proclaim "There'll always be an England in the United States Navy", a commitment honored between 1963 and 1994 by the service of USS England (DLG/CG-22), but which appears to be currently in abeyance.

Through the rest of 1944 and into 1945, as the active war zone progressed ever further toward Japan, England continued her southern and central Pacific escort and patrol work. Beginning in late March 1945, she took part in the invasion of Okinawa and subsequent operations in that area. While on picket duty on 9 May, she was hit in her forward superstructure by a suicide plane, resulting in serious damage to the ship and the loss of 37 lives among her crew.

England was sent to the U.S. east coast for repairs, arriving at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in June. While this work was underway, she also began conversion to a fast transport, with the new hull number APD-41 assigned in July. However, soon after the end of World War II, conversion was cancelled. The partially rebuilt ship was decommissioned in October 1945. In November 1946, USS England was sold for scrapping.

USS England was named in honor of Ensign John Charles England, USNR, who was killed in action on board USS Oklahoma (BB-37) during the 7 December 1941 Pearl Harbor air raid.