Following the annual fleet maneuvers, Litchfield steamed to Newport, Rhode Island, to join Division 39 for duty in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, arriving at Constantinople on 28 June 1922.

Litchfield served in humanitarian causes and as an instrument of American foreign policy as Admiral Bristol's destroyers evacuated 262,000 Greek and Armenian refugees from Smyrna, Turkey, 13 September.

The destroyers also assisted civilian relief agencies attempting to feed and evacuate additional thousands suffering from famine and war.

During maneuvers and tactical exercises with the battle fleet in October, she was awarded prize money for her competitive short-range firing.

In April 1937, Litchfield, as part of the Battle Fleet, changed her permanent base from the west coast to Pearl Harbor.

With the outbreak of war in the Pacific, Litchfield's duties involved the escort of U.S. submarines both in and out of port and anti-submarine patrol off the entrance to Pearl Harbor.

Several times she made depth charge runs but no kills were confirmed prior to her departure 6 November 1943 for overhaul at Bremerton, Washington.