She sailed 19 June 1945 through the Panama Canal for Le Havre, France, where she embarked more than 4,000 troops and returned with them to Newport News, Virginia She moved to Staten Island, N.Y. where on 26 October 1945 she picked up 2,200 "kaki clad brethen"(The "MAC" Log)" and sailed 8,643 nmi (16,007 km; 9,946 mi) arriving at Iran's Shaht-El-Arab River on 19 November 1945.

She was decommissioned at New York City 27 February 1946 and was returned to War Shipping Administration (WSA) for peacetime operations as a United States Army Transport (USAT) under bareboat charter until title was transferred on 30 August 1946.

[1] Crewed by civilians, she operated between New York and the United Kingdom until February 1954,[3] then shifted her base to San Francisco, California for runs to Japan.

On 29 October 1954 the General J. H. McRae was inactivated and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego, CA.

On 24 February 1960 she was transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benicia, California.