There, Winston loaded 2,496 tons of cargo bound for the 4th Marine Division, headed back toward Hawaii on 10 April, and arrived at Maui nine days later.

For almost two years, the ship plied the waters of the western Atlantic, participating in amphibious maneuvers with Marines from the Central American coast in the south to the shores of Greenland in the north.

After disembarking the Marines at Morehead City, North Carolina, she proceeded to Norfolk and resumed east coast operations out of that port.

For the next three weeks, she participated in Operation "Miki", a combined Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps exercise simulating a massive invasion of the Hawaiian Islands.

She returned to the west coast in mid-November and paid visits to Tacoma, Washington, and San Francisco, California, before heading south toward Panama on 22 November.

Completing her part in that operation, the attack cargo ship began a shuttle service between Pusan and the combat areas ferrying fresh troops and supplies – first to Wonsan and, later, to Hŭngnam.

By early December, most UN troops were pushed across the 38th parallel into South Korea, but a few held coastal enclaves at Wonsan and Hŭngnam.

During the first eight months of 1951, the attack cargo ship continued her duty running troops and supplies between various points on the eastern coast of Korea.

In September, she headed back to the western Pacific once more for a five-month deployment during which she participated in 7th Fleet amphibious exercises and transported Marine Corps units between various bases in the Far East.

She participated in Marine Corps landing exercises at Okinawa in November and, in February 1956, joined in another amphibious operation but this time at Iwo Jima.

That tour included a period of service as station ship at Hong Kong and missions training South Korean marines in amphibious operations at Pohang.

On 2 May 1963, the attack cargo ship ended her cruise back at San Diego; and she resumed local operations in the eastern Pacific.

Amphibious training occupied her time during the summer, and an overhaul at Portland took care of late September, October, and November.

By the time the ship arrived at Okinawa, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident had occurred and revised all 7th Fleet deployment plans.

The ship stood out of San Diego on 24 May, made a three-day stop at Pearl Harbor along the way, and arrived in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on 17 June.

Through the end of September, the ship went "cold iron" there for repairs but resumed operations out of her home port at the beginning of October.

She held amphibious training exercises in the Okinawa area on 17 and 18 May and, from 19 to 23 May, embarked Regimental Landing Team 5 and its equipment for transportation to Chu Lai.

On 26 July, after a rough transit which had taken her through the developing Typhoon "Ora", the ship returned to Vietnam at Cam Ranh Bay.

That reverse amphibious operation saved the unit the heavy casualties it would have sustained fighting its way south along routes held by strong insurgent forces.

Winston departed Qui Nhơn on 31 July and delivered the South Vietnamese troops to Tuy Hòa that same day.

Over the next three days and nights, she completed another difficult unloading operation complicated by the proximity of the enemy and the possibility of hostile fishing craft.

A week later, she headed home, stopped at Pearl Harbor from 27 to 29 August, arrived back in San Diego on 5 September, and resumed local operations along the southern California coast.

She arrived in Da Nang on 2 September and, after three days in port, returned to sea to join Amphibious Ready Group Alpha.

That operation ended on 20 October, and Winston served with ARG Alpha just eight more days before heading for Hong Kong and a liberty visit.

Late in April, she took part in Operation "Beagle Leash", an amphibious exercise which simulated an attack on the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton.

Throughout the summer, the ship participated in various single-and multi-ship training exercises honing her amphibious landing skills in preparation for another combat cruise off the coast of Vietnam.

Bold Mariner was purported to be the largest amphibious operation of the Vietnam War to that date, and Winston participated in it until 25 January.

After a brief stop at Da Nang on the 26th to unload some cargo, the ship got underway for a liberty call at Singapore which lasted from 1 to 10 February.

Winston was placed out of commission sometime in November 1969 and, on 17 February 1970, she was transferred to the temporary custody of the Maritime Administration for lay up with the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California Winston remained berthed at Suisun Bay until 1 September 1976 at which time her name was struck from the Navy List, and her transfer to the Maritime Administration was made permanent.

Winston was sold for scrap on 15 November 1979 to Apolina Limited, Hong Kong and removed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 18 December 1979.