Following shakedown and training exercises, "Everglades" transited the Panama Canal and arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, for duty with Destroyer Force Atlantic. She played a vital part in keeping the Navy ready, repairing Norfolk-based destroyers and servicing ships in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean where she made four extensive cruises through the end of 1960. "Everglades" removed aircraft wreckage from the Palomares Incident for dumping in the Atlantic.