"Perseus" arrived in Portsmouth on 24 October 1945, after the end of World War II, to begin working up and sailed on 17 November for Australia. She arrived in Sydney on 21 December, just in time to take charge of winding up the "Air Train" that had supported the British Pacific Fleet. The ship departed Melbourne on 26 March 1946, carrying a load of aircraft to return to the United Kingdom, and arrived at Rosyth on 17 May where she was placed in reserve.