 Arriving there on 25 May 1942, she relieved the seaplane tender and began tending seaplanes of Patrol Wing 3 (PatWing 3).After these duties ended, "Matagorda" arrived at Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone on 20 June 1942.She escorted merchant ships to Cuba and Jamaica before resuming seaplane tending duty on 22 July 1942, this time from bases in Central America and South America