 That year she also provided disaster relief for the outer islands of the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Donna.In February 1961 the Arctic came to Chesapeake Bay and "Recovery" assisted Coast Guard vessels in clearing heavy ice congestion and aiding stranded merchantmen.In May she again operated in support of NASA's space program and directed offshore standby recovery forces during Commander Shepard's suborbital flight, America's first manned space flight.