After shakedown, "Sappho" sailed on 28 May 1945 from Norfolk, with cargo and personnel for Honolulu, where she arrived on 18 June. On 29 June, she got underway for Palmyra Atoll and Fanning Island, returning to Honolulu on 11 July. The ship began amphibious training off Maui Island on 4 August but terminated the exercises shortly after the Japanese capitulation in mid-August. On 1 September, she departed Pearl Harbor with occupation troops for Japan, arriving at Sasebo on 22 September. She then made a trip to Manila, returning to Sasebo on 20 October where she reported for "Magic Carpet" duty. "Sappho" made two voyages carrying troops home; one from Sasebo, Japan, and one from Shanghai, China, before she was released from "Magic Carpet" duty at Seattle on 10 January 1946.