[1] In the 1950s Basswood made several trips to the Marshall Islands in support of US nuclear weapons testing there, specifically for Operations Greenhouse (1951), Castle (1954), and Redwing (1956).

[5][6] She returned to the Marshalls in 1966, carrying Dayle Husted of the Smithsonian Institution to Enewetak as part of the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program.

While based in Guam, she was the driving force behind Project Handclasp, a US Navy program to provide health care and humanitarian relief to outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean.

[13] In Apra Harbor, Basswood's home port, ten ships or tugs were sunk or forced aground, as were numerous smaller vessels.

[13] However, Basswood successfully rode out the storm at anchor, recording a peak wind gust of 120 knots/hour (138 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 933.1 mb (27.6 inHg).

[14] The Cao Yu was sighted by a Canadian Air Force P-3 crew on 26 June about 1,500 miles northwest of Midway Island apparently engaged in illegal driftnet fishing.

[14][16] Contrary to the master's claims, the People's Republic of China denied that the vessel was registered there and, therefore, the Coast Guard determined that it was flagless and subject to boarding.

[17] Basswood towed the Cao Yu to Guam where it was sold at auction, the ship's master was prosecuted for resisting the Coast Guard boarding.