Still classified a minesweeper, "Pigeon" departed Pearl Harbor on 7 November 1923 and joined the Yangtze River Patrol Force at Shanghai, China on 26 November. For five years, she served in the famous patrol protecting American citizens and commerce during the revolution that swept China. She began serving Submarine Division 16 (SubDiv 16), U.S. Asiatic Fleet in September 1928. After ranging from the Philippines to the China coast, she fitted out as a “Submarine Salvage Vessel” at the Cavite Naval Station April–July 1929. She sailed from Manila Bay on 13 July to cruise with Asiatic Fleet Submarines along the China Coast until returning to Manila on 11 September. The following day, she was reclassified a Submarine Rescue Vessel (ASR-6).