For the next two years, she operated off the West Coast, participating in the 1936 and 1937 fleet problems, making good will calls at Latin American ports and undergoing local training operations. On 16 July 1937 at about 1200 hours, she collided with the American halibut-fishing boat "Alten" in the harbor at Ketchikan, Territory of Alaska; she and a United States Coast Guard Cutter, , assisted "Alten"s crew of 11 and there was no loss of life, although "Alten" was badly damaged.