From September 1949 through January 1951, she engaged in extended antisubmarine warfare training in a permanent ASW hunter-killer group as a unit of Destroyer Squadron Eight (DesRon 8).

In early 1951 she participated in Convex II, a large scale convoy escort exercise, after which she called at Baltimore, Maryland.

On 7 September 1954, the Noa left Norfolk to participate in a joint NATO antisubmarine warfare exercise named "Black Jack".

The Noa and the other destroyers found safe haven at the port of Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island in the Azores.

During the overhaul in the summer of 1955, the Noa was outfitted with experimental sonar equipment that she tested in the Key West area.

After completion of a three-month overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in August 1957 she steamed for five weeks of refresher training at Guantanamo and for shore bombardment exercises at Culebra Island, Puerto Rico.

In winter of 1957–8, Noa served as test ship for experimental radio equipment and in spring 1958 she was again taking part in Springboard exercises in the Caribbean.

March 1957 saw the Noa as a participant in Lantphibex 1–58, an exercise designed to test the latest amphibious warfare concepts.

She called at Massawa, Ethiopia; Bombay, India; Bahrain; Saudi Arabia; Bandar Shahpur, Iran; and Aden.

Through spring 1960 she operated off the Atlantic Coast and in the Caribbean, She entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 25 May for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM), and she received the latest in antisubmarine warfare (ASW) equipment.

Training followed, and the Noa steamed for the United Kingdom, for combined exercises in the Eastern Atlantic with the Royal Navy.

The Noa returned to Mayport on 6 February for modifications to her boat davits and briefings in preparation for the recovery of both America's first astronaut to orbit the Earth and his spacecraft.

On 20 February, at precisely 14:40, five hours and 53 minutes after launch, Friendship 7 reentered the atmosphere with a loud sonic boom that was clearly audible in Noa.

She sighted and recovered Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., USMC, Project Mercury astronaut, after he had completed three orbits of the Earth and splashed down three miles from the destroyer.

[1] Col. Glenn remained aboard Noa for three hours before a helicopter transferred him to the Randolph (CV-15), the primary recovery ship.

The flight was cancelled after the Agena-B rocket designed to launch a docking vehicle failed to achieve an orbital insertion.

The Noa stood out of Mayport on 5 January 1968 to conduct a solemn mission – the burial at sea of George H. Flynt, YN1 (Ret.).

She rode out Hurricane Gladys on 19 October and then spent the rest of the year in training and in preparation for her deployment to the Western Pacific in 1969.

1969 West Pac Cruise serving off the coast of the Republic of Vietnam proceeding within 12 Nautical Miles on at least two occasions, April and May of 1969.

Noa's Landing Party Team won Plaudits from COMMIDEAST for their preparation for and survey of Sir Abu Nu Air.