"Cedarwood" was based in Esquimalt. During her service with the Royal Canadian Navy she was used to travel into the Arctic Ocean and test equipment. She also did bathythermographic surveys along with general biology, oceanography and acoustic surveys. During her time in the Bering Sea, she laid submarine cables and carried scientists of both Canada and the United States on survey missions, mapping a large amount of the British Columbia coastline. On 22 September 1950, "Cedarwood" was heavily damaged by a storm while in the Hecate Strait. The repairs took a month to fix. She continued in her service until she was paid off on 9 July 1958.