Sacramento visited Dominican,[9] Mexican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran ports repeatedly into 1916, protecting U.S. interests and observing uneasy local political conditions.

Arriving at New Orleans on 17 March 1917, Sacramento's crew assisted U.S. Customs authorities in taking over the interned German merchant vessels Breslau, Andromeda, Anna, Louise, and Teresa after the U.S. entered World War I.

Departing New Orleans on 15 April, Sacramento proceeded to Newport, Rhode Island, to commence patrol and escort duty off the New England coast.

Assigned to European waters, Sacramento departed New York on 22 July in company with a British mercantile convoy bound for Gibraltar, arriving on 6 August.

As a unit of the U.S. Patrol Force based at Gibraltar, she performed continuous convoy escort duty to the British Isles with additional service along the North African and Italian coasts into 1918.

Sacramento arrived at Murmansk on 22 May 1919; and, through July, served as a dispatch ship, distributed food and clothing, provided medical help, and assisted in the withdrawal of American forces from areas bordering the White Sea.

Subsequently, sailing southward, Sacramento called at Norwegian, British, and French ports before arriving at Gibraltar on 20 September to assist in demobilizing the naval forces there.

She sailed first to Mare Island, California, then joined the Special Service Squadron and cruised the Caribbean, calling at Central American and West Indies ports, into 1932.

Sacramento's battle stations were manned by 08:00; two minutes later, her gun crews opened fire on Japanese aircraft attacking "Battleship Row" off Ford Island.

Her batteries assisted in destroying one enemy plane which crossed her bow 200 yd (180 m) ahead and later helped down another which was pressing home an attack on Nevada.

Sacramento patrolled the Hawaiian Sea Frontier out of Pearl Harbor until 27 September 1942, when she commenced service as a tender for Torpedo Boat Unit 6, Division 2, of MTBRon 1, at Palmyra Island, south of Hawaii; with additional duty as air-sea rescue vessel for the Naval Air Station.