Bushnell arrived at San Diego on 3 September 1931 and reported for duty with the Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, with whom she operated until 1937.

She towed the sailing frigate USS Constitution from San Diego to the Panama Canal Zone during March and April 1934 and in February 1935 assisted in the search for survivors of the dirigible USS Macon which crashed off San Diego.

In December 1937 she was transferred to duty with the hydrographic survey and carried out her operations on the coasts of Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, British Guiana, and Samoa until September 1941.

On 7 December 1941 Sumner was moored at the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, and took an active part in the defense of the Islands against the Japanese attack.

During the ensuing months she conducted surveys at Noumea, New Caledonia; Nukuʻalofa, Tonga; Port Vila and Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides; and Tulagi, Solomon Islands.

Between 5 December 1943 and 13 February 1944 Sumner participated in the occupation of Tarawa and conducted a survey of the newly acquired area.

Survey operations in the Philippines were completed 28 August and Sumner stood out for Jinsen, Korea, arriving 9 September 1945.

Sumner underwent a yard period at Pearl Harbor and then sailed to Bikini Atoll to conduct surveys in preparation for the coming atomic bomb tests before returning to California 24 May 1946.