A brief conference held there organized the various support and escort forces into Task Force (TF) 96. "Theodore E. Chandler" became a unit of Task Group (TG) 96.5, the Japan-Korea Support Group, made up of an escort element, a west Korean supporting element, and two east Korean support elements. DesDiv 111, with "Helena" as flagship, made up one of the rotating, east Korean support elements. On 26 July, the unit departed Sasebo and shaped a course for Korea to conduct shore bombardments in support of United Nations (UN) land forces. En route, however, the task element received orders changing its destination to the Taiwan Strait. "Chandler" and her sister warships completed their mission in the narrow waters separating Taiwan from communist-controlled mainland China and headed for Japan on 2 August. The ships reached Sasebo on 4 August and departed again three days later. Finally, on 7 August, they took up station off the Korean coast.