[1] After a dash to Auckland, Eaton embarked Rear Admiral G. H. Fort and staff on 26 October and served as flagship for the landings on Treasury Island the following day.

Prior to the landings at Empress Augusta Bay, she led fast minelayers USS Tracy (DM-19) and Pruitt (DM-22) through Bougainville Straits to seal off the eastern approach, on the night of 1/2 November.

Relieved by Dyson (DD-572) the following day, she continued to escort resupply convoys to Bougainville, Treasury, and Vella Lavella, as well as to bombard coast batteries and hunt Japanese ships.

Eaton went north, 28 August 1945, to support minesweeping operations in the Yellow Sea off Jinsen (Inchon) in preparation for landings the following month.

Reclassified DDE-510, 2 January 1951, Eaton was recommissioned 11 December 1951 at the Boston Naval Shipyard, and joined Escort Division 22 at Norfolk, Virginia, 29 May 1952.

[1] She operated as far as the Caribbean and made two midshipman cruises in the summer of 1953: the first to England, France and Italy, the second to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In the early 1950s the Eaton collided with a surfacing submarine, but the following destroyer averted a worse collision owing to quick action of the captain.

[1] On 6 May 1956, off the Virginia Capes, the battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64) collided with the Eaton in thick fog while daylight steaming at high speed (20 knots).

The ship's 1st LT saved her by securing bow to stern with anchor chain, and closing the watertight door beside his room.

[1] In another accident, the NOTS RUR-4 Weapon Alpha rocket-boosted depth charge projector misfired, with one warhead falling back onto the 01 deck and killing a seaman below.

A visit to British waters in the fall of 1957 and two to Canada varied Eaton's Atlantic and Caribbean duty through 1960, participating during the Bay of Pigs Invasion events.

[1] On Memorial Day of 1969, Eaton was decommissioned, and then later towed away, and sunk as a target during gunnery practice in the Atlantic Ocean 90 nautical miles (167 km) off Norfolk, Virginia.