The USS Somers (DD-381) was the fifth U.S. fighting ship to bear the Somers name. Launched on 13 March 1937 and commissioned on 1 December of the same year, she became part of the Neutrality Patrol, where she vigilantly patrolled the waters of the western Atlantic. On 6 November 1941, the Somers took part in one of her better known naval actions as she and the cruiser Omaha (CL-4) captured the German blockade-runner Odenwald off the coast of Africa.
When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, the Somers took part in escort convoys throughout the South Atlantic. On 21 November 1942, the Somers identified another merchant vessel as the German blockade-runner Anneliese Essberger. On this occasion, the Somers was unable to prevent the enemy vessel from scuttling herself and the cruiser USS Milwaukee (CL-5) took all survivors on board.
In January 1943, the Somers served with the cruiser USS Memphis (CL-13), acting as screen and escort for the larger warship while the Memphis served as flagship for President Franklin Roosevelt during his Casablanca conference. Following this operation, the Somers took part in escorting two French vessels to the United States. In January 1944, the Somers made contact with another suspected German blockade-runner, later identified as the Westerland. She disabled the German ship with fire from her main guns. The Somers picked up the merchantman's survivors the following day.
After escorting a convoy to England in May 1944, the Somers shuttled convoys back and forth across the English Channel during the D-Day invasion. In August 1944, she patrolled off the southern coast of France during the Allied assaults there. On 15 August, the Somers intercepted two German corvettes, the Escabort and the Comascio, and opened fire on the enemy warships. Her swift action and accurate gunnery dealt death blows to both corvettes. Soon afterward, the Somers used her main gun battery to attack enemy strong points along the southern coastline of France. On 22 August 1944, the Somers engaged and defeated several enemy shore batteries, but in the process she suffered shrapnel damage to her decks.
The Somers arrived back in the United States on 12 May 1945. She was decommissioned on 28 October 1945 and sold to Boston Metals Corporation of Baltimore, Maryland. She was officially removed from the Navy list on 28 January 1947.