On 19 November, her passenger accommodations filled with returning veterans, she departed Korea for the United States, arriving Norfolk on 23 December.

A year later, on 1 July 1953, the attack cargo ship got underway for Korea where she transported prisoners–of–war, primarily Chinese, from Koje-do to Inchon, the port of exchange.

Arriving on 9 June, her passengers and cargo added strength to the 1,800 marines landed on 16 May, at the request of the Thai government, and positioned defensively in the north.

In late October, as the crisis over the USSR's establishment of missile bases on Cuba mounted, Mathews was attached to the Atlantic Fleet and throughout the quarantine period operated with amphibious groups in the Caribbean, returning to California on 16 December.

She arrived back at Long Beach on 2 December only to depart again on 10 January 1966 for Okinawa with Marine artillery elements embarked, returning to California in March.

On 2 May, Mathews got underway for her third western Pacific deployment in 370 days, with Marine engineers on board en route to Chu Lai.

She then shuttled between Subic Bay, Da Nang, and Huế, before departing for Yokosuka and Long Beach, arriving there on 23 July and engaging in amphibious, tactical and engineering exercises for the remainder of the year.

She remained in the western Pacific into 1968, sailing for the west coast on 4 February with calls at Okinawa, Yokosuka, and Pearl Harbor before reaching Long Beach on 19 March.