Following the initial 20 August 1990 evacuation by the 22nd MEU and her support elements, the MEU was relieved by the Company "K" and a detachment of Headquarters and Support (H&S) personnel of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment (designated as Battalion Landing Team 3/8), a part of the 26th MEU 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked on . Also present were embarked service support group elements from the MEU command element, as well as , which was used to ferry evacuees out of Monrovia. Remaining on station for the next 121 days, the Marines and sailors of "Whidbey Island" evacuated over 1,000 civilian personnel from Monrovia, most of whom were subsequently transported to Freetown, Sierra Leone aboard the accompanying USS "Barnstable County". The 26th MEU was relieved by FAST Company 5th Platoon of the Marine Corps circa December, 1990, when "Whidbey Island" and her embarked troops steamed to the Mediterranean in anticipated support of the growing Operation Desert Shield. 26 MEU and 22 MEU evacuated a total of 2,439 people between the summer of 1990 and 9 January 1991.