"Seattle" departed Norfolk on 27 August for her first overseas deployment. She entered her first European port, Lisbon, Portugal, on 6 September. On 8 September, she anchored off Rota, Spain. Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar the next day, "Seattle" loaded cargo onto and then proceeded to the eastern Mediterranean Sea via Augusta, Sicily. The Jordanian Crisis had brought matters close to a boil, and "Seattle" served as the primary logistic support ship for and her escorts. Toward the end of the month, "Seattle" was one of 12 ships reviewed by president Richard Nixon.