Her next period at sea, which began on 4 March, brought action. On 10 March, light cruiser and destroyer "Eberle" were investigating a cargo liner which had been spotted by "Santee"s aircraft and which had been tentatively identified as the "Karin", a Dutch merchantman. It turned out to be the German blockade runner "Kota Nopan" (ex-Dutch "Kota Pinang"). As the "Eberle" boarding party drew alongside, explosives placed by the abandoning crew detonated, killing eight boarders. On 15 March, "Santee" set out for Norfolk and anchored at Hampton Roads on 28 March.