From her home port at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, Cromwell joined in antisubmarine exercises in waters from Iceland to the Virgin Islands, took part in fleet exercises in the Caribbean, and served as schoolship for the Fleet Sonar School at Key West.

Between February and April 1959, Cromwell sailed on a cruise which took her through the Panama Canal to a number of ports on the west coast of South America, and exercises with ships of the Peruvian Navy.

In August, September, and October 1959, she crossed the Atlantic once more for NATO operations, and during the first half of 1960 concentrated on amphibious exercises with Marines along the North Carolina coast.

Cromwell took part in NATO exercises in the fall of 1960, then returned to East Coast operations for the remainder of the year.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.