After a six-week shakedown cruise out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and another month in Norfolk, the amphibious assault ship began participation in her first fleet exercise in the Caribbean, 15 October.

Shortly thereafter the Cuban Missile Crisis arose and Okinawa remained in the area, lending force to the United States' stand, until 3 December, when she returned to Norfolk.

On 9 July, Okinawa began her first formal Caribbean deployment, returning to Norfolk on 1 October and spending the remainder of that year and the first part of the next in that area.

Okinawa was transferred to the Pacific Fleet; she set sail for the West Coast on 24 January 1967 and arrived at San Diego, her new home port, on 8 February.

On 13 April, while sailing from Okinawa to Taiwan, the ship was diverted by a distress call, and the next day rescued all 38 persons from the grounded Panamanian vessel Silver Peak near the Sento Shosho Islands.

On 4 April 1968, after an intensive period of special training, Okinawa recovered the unmanned Apollo 6 space capsule 380 miles north of Kauai, Hawaii.

After being hit by several Maverick, Harpoon missiles, and general-purpose bombs, the ex-Okinawa was finally sunk by a Mk 48 torpedo fired by the USS Portsmouth.