At the start of 1987, "Derwent"s homeport was changed to in Western Australia. As part of the change of homeport, the ship's company was swapped with that of sister ship . The ship's first assignment in Western Australia was in support of the 1987 America's Cup. After exercises and a brief refit, "Derwent" and were deployed. En route, "Derwent" assisted the yacht "Aussiedan", which was experiencing engine troubles off Shark Bay. On "Derwent"s return to Australia, she participated in exercises with visiting United States Navy ships, and escorted the First Fleet Re-enactment Voyage as it entered Fremantle. On Australia Day (26 January) 1988, "Derwent" was involved in Bicentenary celebrations in Albany, Western Australia. This was followed by two separate deployments to South East Asia, exercises with a United States Navy task group, and a voyage in company of the Royal Navy's Global '88 deployment. Early 1989 saw a third deployment to South East Asia. The rest of the year was taken up with the ship's 25th anniversary celebrations, followed by exercises in Australian waters. On 24 January 1990, "Derwent" was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup for being the most efficient ship overall during 1989. Another Asian deployment concluded in June. After maintenance at ASI concluded in March 1991, "Derwent" undertook exercises until November, when she deployed to South East Asia.