off-loading operations commenced at St. George Island early on the 21st. Strong winds, high seas, and thick fog made this entire operation a challenge to seamanship and perseverance. The ship arrived at Seattle, Washington, on 3 September and disembarked passengers and cargo. The following year, the Department of Commerce would carry on this work with its own vessel, thus ending a Navy mission initiated in the 1920s by executive order of President Coolidge. After five weeks in San Diego preparing for deployment, Union sailed for her home port on 16 October. Upon her arrival at Pearl Harbor, the ship took part in Operation "Silver Sword," a landing exercise of 5,000 marines on the beaches of Maui. The landing commenced one minute after midnight on 30 October. On 15 November. Amphibious Squadron 1 sailed from Pearl Harbor. Union and broke off from the squadron and arrived at Sasebo on 28 November 1961. After voyage repairs at Sasebo, Union steamed to Hong Kong where she served as station ship for the remainder of the year, 16 December 1961 through 14 January 1962. Union was relieved as station ship on 15 January, and she sailed for Subic Bay, Philippines. After 10 days of upkeep, Union returned to her work of amphibious operations and participated in the "Away All Boats" exercise. The ship then sailed for Buckner Bay, Okinawa, to load a cargo of Marine Corps equipment. In February, Union learned that her deployment had been extended two weeks so she could participate in Operation "Tulungan," a SEATO exercise in which the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the Royal Australian Air Force, and Philippine units took part. An unusually long operation, "Tulungan" lasted from mid-February to mid-April. Union left Yokosuka for San Diego on 17 April. After arriving in San Diego on 5 May 1962, Union spent May and June in leave, upkeep, and training exercises in the San Diego area. On 26 July, she steamed for an interim overhaul lasting from 1 August to 7 September at Seattle, Washington. Refresher training commenced off San Diego on 5 October. On 27 October, Union got underway for the Panama Canal with Task Group (TG) 53.2. Having transited the Panama Canal on 5 November, Union moored at Cristobal, Canal Zone, and later anchored at Limon Bay, Colon. Union arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on 30 November to take part in the Cuban quarantine. She conducted