With the outbreak of the Second World War, in October 1939, she and other Clyde steamers like the PS Waverley were requisitioned again by the Admiralty for minesweeping duties.[1] Renamed HMS Oriole to avoid confusion with the pre-existing ship called Eagle, she was modified again for war service with her main saloon being reduced in size to allow the installation of minesweeping gear at her stern, and an anti-aircraft gun being installed on her foredeck.[1] In 1940 Oriole and the other active members of her minesweeper flotilla were ordered away from their regular duties patrolling the coast from their base at Harwich to take part in the Dunkirk evacuation.[1] Arriving at La Panne beach, seeing the difficulty troops were having getting from the shallow beach to the ships, the captain of the Oriole Lieutenant E. L. Davies decided to beach the ship.[1][3] This allowed the Oriole to act as a temporary pier speeding up the process of getting troops onto other ships and smaller boats.[1][3] The Oriole stayed beached for ten hours open to attack from enemy positions on the beach and from the air, but left at dusk as the tide rose lifting her off the beach, returning to Harwich relatively unscathed.[1][3] She made four more trips, and was finally credited with landing 2587 troops.[1][3] In recognition of his actions, Lieutenant Davies was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[1] In April 1941, she was transferred from Harwich to Kingston-upon-Hull. In 1945 when she was used to ferry food supplies to aid the Dutch famine.[4]