At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yūbari was flagship of Destroyer Squadron Six of the IJN 4th Fleet, tasked with the defense of the South Pacific Mandate, and was based out of Truk from late 1941 through 1942.
Beginning 29 June 1942, Yūbari took part in the Solomon Islands Campaign, including landing personnel on Guadalcanal to construct an airfield. Yūbari participated in the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August. She scored several hits on the American destroyer USS Ralph Talbot, and one of the torpedoes that sank the heavy cruiser USS Vincennes has been attributed to her.
On 27 April 1944, Yūbari was hit by 2 torpedoes off Palau by the USN submarine Bluegill on her first war patrol, and sank almost 24 hours after being torpedoed.
