Following an overhaul at Philadelphia in early 1955, "Benner" participated in 14 to 27 March Operation "LantFlex 1" — an amphibious exercise off Newfoundland — and then made another summer midshipmen cruise, visiting Málaga, Spain; Plymouth, England; and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; before returning to Newport on 4 August. In October and November, the destroyer sailed south to the Gulf of Mexico, conducting air defense exercises with land-based aircraft and making port visits to Corpus Christi, Texas, and Port Everglades, Florida. After the holiday leave period, "Benner" proceeded to the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn for a modernization overhaul. This yard work, which included repairs to hull and frame damage she suffered during a late December hurricane, took place between 6 January and 21 May 1956.