Menhaden was skippered by Commander McClintock and manned by sailors from USS Darter which had been lost by grounding during the Battle of Leyte Gulf the previous October.

Menhaden, the last of the Manitowoc-built boats to have commissioned service during World War II, trained in Lake Michigan until 15 July.

Moreover her "gallantly battle-tested" crew epitomized the "valor, skill, and dedicated service of submariners" during the long Pacific war.

She again decommissioned at Mare Island 13 August 1952 and began a GUPPY IIA overhaul and conversion to a snorkel submarine.

Operating out of Yokosuka, she ranged the East and South China Seas until 11 February 1954; thence, she returned to San Diego 23 March.

For the next year and a half she operated in the eastern Pacific where she participated in fleet readiness exercises and type training assignments.

She carried out surveillance and reconnaissance patrols off past and present areas of Cold War conflict from Korea to Vietnam.

In addition, she supported sonar school operations and provided at-sea training for members of the Navy's Submarine Reserve Force.