Gold Crew operating the boat, Kamehameha got underway for Charleston, South Carolina via the Panama Canal, for duty with Submarine Squadron 18, based at Charleston. The submerged transit to the Panama Canal took approximately seven days, and upon arrival off the coast of Panama, Kamehameha surfaced and was met by the Panama Canal pilot who took her through. The passage through the canal was given priority by the canal authorities, and so little time was spent waiting to enter. The boat was the object of considerable curiosity from those on ships nearby, and from the onlookers ashore. Once clear of the canal, Kamehameha submerged again and began the final leg of the transit, passing through the Caribbean and out into the Atlantic. Kamehameha surfaced just east of the Charleston harbor sea buoy and waited for the tug to bring Miss Charleston on board. The information about Miss Charleston was in Commander Submarine Squadron 18's message of instructions for Kamehameha's arrival and had caused excitement among the bachelor junior officers. Both the Officer of the Deck, a lieutenant and the Junior Officer of the Deck were scanning the channel. One lookout reported a Navy tug just appearing in the distance. All binoculars were trained on the tug, and the OOD reported, "I see a female standing on the bow!" Thirty seconds later, he then reported, "Captain, that's not Miss Charleston, that's your wife!" The remark was relayed to a reporter who also had arrived on the tug, and the next day, in the Charleston newspaper, the Society page bore the headline, "That's Not Miss Charleston, That's the Captain's Wife!" Miss Charleston had gone to the wrong pier in the shipyard and thus missed the boat. Shortly after Kamehameha's arrival, she was ordered to sail on patrol earlier than scheduled to fill in for another boat that had suffered a casualty to the main engines. Kamehameha exchanged all 16 missiles in less than 24 hours and replaced the ship's battery. She then took Commander Submarine Flotilla Six, on board and proceeded to sea for four days of sea trials, allowing the flotilla commander to see the capabilities of the new boat. In the event, Kamehameha passed with flying colors and embarked on her first Atlantic Fleet deterrent patrol. She made two more patrols, one Blue and one Gold, and in April 1971, was taken by the Blue Crew into the shipyard for