after a short stay in new london, connecticut, the "howard w. gilmore" steamed to portsmouth, new hampshire, to load torpedoes and then sailed to her new home port, key west, where she arrived 25 january 1946. serving submarine squadron 4, the ship was to stay in florida for the greater part of the next 13 years, serving submarines on their training and readiness duties. the ship occasionally tended submarines at norfolk, virginia and deployed to the caribbean twice during this period, notably for operation springboard, a fleet exercise in the caribbean in 1958.