Following shakedown off Cuba and plane guard exercises off Pensacola, Florida, Perry departed the east coast, on 12 June 1946, for her first overseas deployment, a nine-month cruise which took her first to northern Europe, thence to the Mediterranean.

In 1952, following her 3rd Mediterranean tour, she again served as Engineering School Ship and participated in type, fleet, and NATO exercises until resuming overseas employment in 1954.

During the next four years Perry regularly deployed to the Mediterranean, patrolling, in early 1956, off the Suez Canal as the United States attempted to promote a peaceful settlement to the mounting crisis between Israel and the Arab League nations.

On 2 August 1962, she departed Florida to resume overseas deployments and for the next seven years rotated between 6th Fleet and Middle East Force tours and operations in the western Atlantic, the latter including further Polaris tests, school ship duties for the Sonar School at Key West, and, in May 1965, patrol duties with Task Force 124 (TF 124) off the Dominican Republic.

He finally requested a course change, but by then Perry had suffered significant structural damage, and on 3 September returned to her homeport for three months of repairs.