After a short stay in New London, Connecticut, the Howard W. Gilmore steamed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to load torpedoes, then sailed to her new home port, Key West, where she arrived 25 January 1946.

With this Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization Overhaul (FRAM) completed the ship returned to the Caribbean for refresher training before resuming tender duties at Charleston.

From 1963 into 1967, the veteran tender continued to serve submarines from her home port, Charleston, making short cruises for training off the South Carolina coast and in the Caribbean.

In 1970, The Howard W. Gilmore relieved the Bushnell (AS-15) at Key West, then after some yard time on the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast, she departed for her new homeport of La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy – where she provided service and support.

Palma, Mallorca, Tunis, Tunisia and Villefranche-sur-Mer, France In 1980, Howard W. Gilmore returned to Norfolk, Virginia and was decommissioned and In March 2006, she was scrapped.