Named for Reinhart J. Keppler, BM1, Congressional Medal of Honor winner at the Battle of Savo Islans, USS Keppler's keel was laid at the San Francisco Yard of Bethlehem Steel Company, on April 23, 1944. She was accepted on May 20, 1947, and was commissioned on May 23, 1947.
    After an initial underway training period, she left on her first fleet exercise in the Pacific. Joining TF38, she accompanied that force to the Orient, returning to San Diego on May 20, 1948.
    In August, 1948, the Battle Efficiency Pennant was awarded Keppler.
    The first months of 1949 were spent in the San Francisco Naval Shipyard where she underwent conversion to an escort destroyer type. Upon completion of the conversion in June, Keppler, one of the most modern destroyers afloat, reported to the Underway Training Unit at San Diego. During the operating period that followed, ComDesPac awarded Keppler her second Battle Efficiency Pennant.

In October, Keppler was deployed to the Atlantic Fleet in time to carry the broad command pennant of ComDesFlotIV to northern waters for fleet exercises.
    The 1950 operations included an antisubmarine hunter-killer exercises in January, exercises PORTREX and Caribex-Fifty in February and March, plane-guarding Philippine Sea in April and Destroyer-Patrol Plane exercises in June when the pennant of ComDesFlotIV again flew from the truck.
    On July 5, 1950 Keppler departed her home port of Newport, Rhode Island, for Norfolk and deployment to the Mediterranean with DesDiv21 and USS Midway.