On 5 September 1945, a few hours after Soviet forces completed their occupation of the Kuril Islands, Maxwell received orders to cease transfers of ships other than those for which Soviet crews already were in training; this cancelled the transfer of two patrol frigates, five auxiliary motor minesweepers, and 24 submarine chasers. The stop-transfer order caught some of the ships scheduled for transfer, including the patrol frigates and , while they were at sea bound from the U.S. West Coast to Cold Bay. The other ships turned back, but "Annapolis" and "Bangor" pressed on to Cold Bay, took aboard American personnel requiring transportation to the continental United States, and steamed back to Seattle.