at dusk on 11 april 1942, she picked up 290 survivors from the torpedoed merchant passenger steamer ss "ulysses", and landed them at charleston, south carolina the following day. on 13 july 1942 "manley" transited the panama canal for duty with the pacific fleet. touching the society and fiji islands, she reached espiritu santo, new hebrides on 14 august, and loaded special cargo for guadalcanal, invaded only one week earlier.