Between 4 January 1950 and early 1966, "Duxbury Bay" served 15 tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean as flagship for Commander, United States Middle East Force. On average, she made one cruise per year, based in Bahrain, spending the intervening periods in upkeep at her home port of Norfolk and undergoing refresher training at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. During most of this period the Middle East flagship duty rotated between "Duxbury Bay" and two other "Barnegat"-class ships, and , all eventually painted white and specially fitted for the purpose.