Later that year, on 21 September, Sumatra left the Netherlands led by naval captain George Lodewijk Schorer [nl] for the Dutch East Indies, sailing via New York City, the Panama Canal, San Francisco, Shanghai and Nagasaki.

[3] On 19 February 1927, Sumatra was deployed to Shanghai to protect Dutch citizens and interests because of rising tension between Nationalists and Communists.

On 23 March, Sumatra and foreign warship prepared for the evacuation of civilians after fighting had broken out between Nationalists and Communists.

[5] While on exercises with the destroyers De Ruyter and Evertsen and five submarines Sumatra was stranded on an uncharted reef near the island of Kebatoe on 14 May 1931.

[8] On 23 August 1936 Sumatra, her sister ship Java and the destroyers Van Galen, Witte de With and Piet Hein were present at the fleet day held at Surabaya.

Later that year, on 13 November, she and her sister ship and the destroyers Evertsen, Witte de With and Piet Hein visited Singapore.

Afterwards she performed convoy escort duties and took part in the search for the German commerce raider Widder.

Sumatra was quickly recommissioned and, manned largely by midshipmen and capable of only 15 knots, she made her way to Ceylon.