In 1981, working in conjunction with the submarine , "Hassayampa" was instrumental in securing the rescue of 87 Vietnamese refugees drifting at sea in an open boat off the coast of South Vietnam. While en route to Singapore to safely offload the 87 refugees picked up by "Barbel", "Hassayampa" came upon an additional boat with 104 refugees. Several years later, on 8 May 1984, "Hassayampa" spotted a teak fishing boat that was adrift and located from the nearest island and south of Saigon. On board was a group of 20 Vietnamese refugees. In all, "Hassayampa" had now facilitated in the rescue of 211 Vietnamese Boat People. September and October 1983 found "Hassayampa" entwined in Russian politics and foreign intrigue when she accompanied United States Coast Guard cutter , the rescue salvage ship and the fleet tug in search and salvage efforts surrounding the wreckage of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 that was brought down by Russian aircraft. In addition, there were also three Japanese tugs chartered through the U.S. Navy’s Far East Salvage Contractor (Selco)—"Ocean Bull", "Kaiko-Maru 7", and the ill-fated "Kaiko-Maru 3". These vessels, which housed navigation systems equipment, had the assignment of towing sideways scanning sonar designed to detect objects at the bottom of the sea such as the wreckage of Korean Air Lines Flight 007. Additionally, there were several U.S. naval combatants and logistical support ships. In addition to the above ships, there were numerous Japanese Maritime Safety Agency (JMSA) patrol boats and South Korean vessels. Additionally, there were scores of Russian vessels navigating the area. On 17 October 1983, Rear Admiral Walter T. Piotti, Jr., was placed in command of U.S. Seventh Fleet Task Force 71 which was overseeing search and salvage efforts. Commander Piotti’s assessment of the enormity of this naval undertaking was: “Not since the search for the hydrogen bomb lost off Palamares, Spain has the U.S. Navy undertaken a search effort of the magnitude or import of the search for the wreckage of KAL Flight 007. During November 1984, U.S.N.S. "Hassayampa" was a participant in FLEETEX 85, a major exercise involving five aircraft carrier battlegroups and sixty-five ships from various countries. At one point during a consolidation operation with M/V "Falcon Champion", a giant wave struck both vessels and forced "Hassayampa" seven degrees to port causing a near-collision between her and "Falcon Champion".