[7] Raton departed Panama for the South West Pacific Area on 19 September 1943, and upon arriving at Brisbane, Australia, on 16 October 1943, joined Submarine Force, United States Seventh Fleet.

From Brisbane, Raton headed for Tulagi in the Solomon Islands for her first war patrol which she conducted from 20 November to 6 December 1943 — in the Bismarck Archipelago–Solomons–New Guinea area.

On 24 November 1943, while patrolling west of Massau, Raton sighted a Japanese convoy of two cargo ships escorted by two destroyers and a Nakajima A6M2-N (Allied reporting name "Rufe") floatplane.

Displaying excellent antisubmarine warfare proficiency, the two destroyers thwarted four attempts Raton made to sink the remaining cargo ship.

Raton concluded her patrol with her return to Milne Bay, New Guinea, for rest and refit there alongside the submarine tender USS Fulton (AS-11).

On 2 January 1944, Raton encountered two Japanese tankers escorted by a Fubuki-class destroyer northwest of Faland Island on the Palau shipping lane.

[8] On 28 May 1944, Raton sighted and tracked a Japanese Type L submarine, but was unable to attack due to an unfavorable firing angle.

On 6 June 1944, a bright moonlit night allowed Raton to sight a large Japanese convoy of 11 ships with four destroyer-type escorts.

Leaving Mios Woendi 27 October 1944, Raton encountered a Japanese task group of two heavy cruisers and five escort vessels on 6 November 1944.

On 13 March 1945, after an overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California, Raton headed west for Pearl Harbor, HAwaii, for refresher training.

That same day, Raton sank a medium-sized Japanese cargo ship, Rezikan Maru, in a submerged torpedo approach.

Raton departed Guam on 22 June 1945 for her final patrol of World War II, tasked with lifeguard duty off Hong Kong.

After overhaul at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco from 7 July to 24 November 1958 and subsequent underway training, Raton made a third post-World War II deployment in the Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific from early March to mid-November 1959, participating in operations with forces of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

In early 1960, Raton was engaged in local operations in the San Diego area, including evaluation of new sonar concepts and the training of Underwater Demolition Team personnel in covert reconnaissance.

After a major overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard from January to April 1961, she headed west for her fourth post-World War II western Pacific deployment with the Seventh Fleet on 3 July 1961, returning to San Diego on 19 December 1961.

[11] Raton′s fifth post-World War II western Pacific deployment, from January to June 1963, included participation in two major anti-submarine warfare exercises with U.S. and SEATO forces.

Following an overhaul period from November 1963 to early March 1964, Raton deployed again to the western Pacific from 6 July to 23 December 1964, where she operated with naval forces of Thailand, the Philippines, and the Republic of China, under the Military Assistance Program.

Raton spent 1967 in the San Diego area in local operations, conducting United States Naval Reserve training and undergoing a semiannual overhaul.

On 20 and 21 May 1968, she served as a test ship to determine whether a small fleet tug could rescue men from a sunken submarine resting on the ocean floor.