The "Auburn" reached Pearl Harbor on 21 October, and she remained there a few days before continuing on eastward. She entered San Francisco Bay on 31 October. The ship was commanded to reverse her course on 5 November, and she headed back to Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 14 November, and she picked up several hundred military passengers for transportation to Norfolk, Virginia. The "Auburn" left Pearl Harbor that on same day and set a course for the Panama Canal. After transiting the canal on 29 November, the "Auburn" finally reached Norfolk on 7 December 1946.