USS Macdonough, a 400-ton Lawrence class destroyer built at Weymouth, Massachusetts, was commissioned in September 1903. Over the next decade and a half she operated along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico area, was occasionally in reserve, and in 1913-1914 made summer cruises for the Massachusetts Naval Militia. Among her activities was a voyage up the Mississippi River during the last several months of 1909. She served with Atlantic Fleet submarines in 1915-1917. During March-June of the latter year Macdonough returned to the Mississippi for a recruiting cruise, then began World War I patrol operations off the East Coast. She steamed across the Atlantic in early 1918 to begin escort and patrol duty off western France. The destroyer returned to the U.S. in June 1919. Decommissioned at Philadelphia in September 1919, USS Macdonough was sold for scrapping in March 1920.

USS Macdonough was named in honor of Commodore Thomas Macdonough (1783-1825), whose career included command of U.S. Navy forces on Lake Champlain during the War of 1812.