Named for Lieutenant Commander C. W. Flusser, a naval officer killed during the Civil War, the Mahan (DD-364)-class destroyer USS Flusser (DD-368) was the fourth U.S. Navy warship to bear the Flusser name. Built by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in New Jersey, the Flusser was commissioned on 1 October 1936.
The Flusser arrived in San Diego, California, in July 1937 and began operations in the Pacific. During the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Flusser was at sea, screening the USS Lexington (CV-2) battle group. In the fight against Japan, her actions initially consisted of convoy escort duty between Hawaii and the United States.
Following an overhaul in Pearl Harbor late in 1942, the Flusser was actively escorting convoys throughout the Pacific, and by August 1943, she was operating out of Milne Bay to support operations in New Guinea. During these actions she assisted with the landings at Lae and Finschhafen, sank three Japanese barges and took part in the bombardment and landings on Arawe, New Britain.
In late summer 1944, she operated off the Marshall Islands for six weeks. Nine of the Flusser's sailors were wounded on 7 September 1944 during operations against an enemy shore battery on the island of Wotje. On 18 November 1944, she shot down a Japanese kamikaze.
On 4 December, she received some minor damage when she was nearly struck by a Japanese kamikaze. On 5 December, the Flusser engaged attacking enemy aircraft and destroyed several of them while also rescuing the survivors of the destroyed LSM-20, which had been hit during the Japanese attack. In the next few days, the Flusser's group was attacked by hordes of Japanese warplanes. She provided antiaircraft fire and aided survivors of damaged friendly vessels. On 31 January 1945, she covered landings at Nasugbu, Luzon.
The Flusser continued support and escort operations until the end of the war, sailing with convoys between Leyte, Mindoro and Palawan. On 16 September 1945 she arrived in Sasebo, Japan for a brief role in occupation duty.
The following summer, the Flusser took part in the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapons tests and returned to Pearl Harbor in September 1946. She was decommissioned on 16 December 1946.