On 18 September 1989, "Carr" sailed from Charleston to be on station off the Naval Station Mayport for the week to provide a practice flight deck for the SH-60B Seahawk squadrons. That night, an officer of HSL-44 came aboard and informed the captain that the helicopters would be flying to Georgia the following day in preparation for the impending arrival of Hurricane Hugo. On the morning of 19 September, "Carr" entered Naval Station Mayport and moored, awaiting further instructions. At midnight on the 20th, "Carr" got underway and headed south to the Strait of Florida to avoid the storm. Once the hurricane was safely past, the captain ordered the ship to sail towards Charleston.