15 October, having embarked the 2nd Battalion, 21st Infantry RCT, 24th Infantry Division and attached units bound for Okayama, Japan. The convoy arrived off Hiro-wan, Japan on 21 October, and the troops and cargo were discharged during the next two days. During the week spent in Japan, sightseeing parties from the ship visited the nearby large Japanese naval base at Kure as well as the site where the first atomic bomb was dropped at Hiroshima. New Kent together with sailed on 27 October, for Manus, Admiralty Islands, arriving there on 5 November. There she embarked 2000 passengers for her first Magic Carpet voyage, to bring the troops home to San Pedro, California, 19 November. On 26 November, Commander C. F. Swanson, USN, relieved Commander J.E. Baker, USNR, as commanding officer. New Kent sailed from San Diego on 5 December for Guam, Marianas Islands to make its second Magic Carpet run. The ship's destination was again changed, this time to Saipan, Marianas Islands, at which port the ship docked 21 December. After loading 1,980 passengers, the ship sailed for San Pedro, California, destination changed en route to San Francisco, where the ship arrived on 1 January 1946. Christmas and New Year's Day were celebrated aboard ship with special programs for all hands including a Roman Catholic mass, Christmas carols, Christmas gifts distributed by Santa Claus, and a turkey dinner. On 31 December 1945, Commander Swanson reported that since the ship was commissioned it had been underway 228 days and had steamed a total of 195 days, 5 hours or . Post World War II Service In mid-March 1946 New Kent steamed through the Panama Canal and arrived at Norfolk, Virginia on 20 March. For the next year she conducted amphibious training exercises along the East and Gulf coasts and in the Caribbean. On 29 July 1949 she was decommissioned, and berthed with the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 10 October 1951 she was re-commissioned and reassigned to amphibious training duty, resuming exercises along the shores of the Atlantic. With the exception of a voyage to Casablanca in July 1952, New Kent continued her training operations until the Spring 1954, when, again inactivated, she returned to Orange, Texas on 12 July 1954. New Kent rejoined the Reserve Fleet on 17 September 1958 and was struck from the Navy List on 1 October 1958. Fate On 28 October 1971, New Kent was