 Upon entry to the harbor, the "Thomas" dropped anchor in waters at least one fathom greater than the length of its anchor chain.And, due to a hang-fire, the ship actually gave Alaska a twenty-two-gun salute.The ship deployed regularly to the Far East until 9 July 1963 when she entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California and remained in commission in reserve for a 12½-month modernization overhaul.