 From Manila, the oiler travelled to the west coast and arrived at San Francisco on 15 November 1949.She remained on the west coast through the end of the year, until she was decommissioned at San Diego on 3 February 1950 and placed in reserve.However, "Tappahannock"s sojourn in reserve was brief; for, before mid-year, communist aggression in Korea triggered a build-up of the Navy's fleets in both oceans to respond to the threat.