 She stood out of the Guadalcanal area on 14 March for Ulithi, Caroline Islands, where final staging was completed.The invasion force sortied on the 27th, and "Sumter" arrived off the beaches near Yontan Airfield in the early morning of 1 April.After landing 1,352 marines of the assault waves, the transport remained off the beach until sailing for the United States, via the Mariana Islands and Pearl Harbor, on 5 April.