Amphibious training followed with the 3d Battalion, 27th Regiment, 5th Marine Division, embarked; and, on 27 January 1945, she continued west, via Saipan, to Iwo Jima.

But, despite heavy resistance, the 27th Regiment took the cliffs overlooking the western beaches by mid-afternoon; and Sandoval moved in again to take on casualties and discharge critical cargo.

On the 27th, she transferred her remaining provisions and stores to other ships in the area and joined task unit TU 51.16.7 to return to Saipan.

She arrived at Saipan on 2 March; shifted to Guam on the 3d; disembarked casualties; and, on the 5th, sailed for Tulagi where her damaged landing craft were replaced.

Soon after 0730, however, the operation was interrupted by another Japanese air raid; and, at 0737, the APA's guns opened fire on a Tony coming in low, about 50 feet (15 m), range 2,000 yards (1,800 m).

Fifteen minutes later, a third kamikaze came in, missed Sandoval and crashed the foredeck of SS Joseph Snelling, 600 yards (550 m) off the APA's starboard quarter.

By the end of the month, she had completed a second Luzon-Honshū run in support of the occupation of Japan; and, in November, she joined the "Operation Magic Carpet" fleet to carry veterans back to the United States.

Five years later, after war had again broken out in the Far East, Sandoval was ordered activated to support the United Nations effort in Korea.

On the 24th, she arrived in Japan; and, in mid-April, she carried cargo to Inchon, whence she moved troops to Koje Do to assist in stemming the prisoner of war (POW) riots on that island.

In May and early June, she conducted amphibious training exercises; and, at mid-month, she headed south to the Philippines and Hong Kong.

She arrived in Japan the day after the truce went into effect; and, in early August, she assisted in transporting POW's from the off-shore islands to the Korean mainland for exchange.

She then returned to Japan and, for the remainder of her extended tour in the western Pacific Ocean, carried cargo and conducted training exercises in Japanese, Korean, and Okinawan waters.

Four and one-half years later, on 10 December 1959, she was transferred to the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet; and, on 1 July 1960, her name was struck from the Navy list.

Into the summer, Sandoval conducted training exercises, primarily with U.S. Marine Corps units, off the Virginia and Carolina coasts, and in Puerto Rico.

Sandoval moved to Morehead City, North Carolina; embarked marines; and steamed south to stand by in case of need.

Well into the summer, she participated in fleet, bi-national, and NATO exercises; and, on 5 August, she got underway for Morehead City and Norfolk, Virginia.

On 20 August 1970, she was transferred to the custody of the Maritime Administration and laid up with the James River, Virginia, Group, National Defense Reserve Fleet, where she remained into July 1974.