The first few months of 1960 saw the ship participating in Operation "Blue Star", the largest amphibious operation in the Western Pacific since the landings at Inchon, Korea, in September 1950. After returning to San Diego on 29 April 1960, "Tulare" operated locally in exercises off the west coast, with troop and cargo lifts, until sailing for her fourth deployment to the western Pacific on 19 June 1961. Her special duty on the outbound voyage was to carry cargo to Wake Island. After unloading there, "Tulare" continued on to Japan. Following two weeks at Yokosuka, the ship visited Beppu, Japan, and headed for Inchon and Pohang, Korea, to take part in Operation "Sharp Edge", in which she embarked 300 Army troops with their equipment. Tulare then visited Hong Kong and several Japanese ports during the summer and early fall of 1961. En route to the Ryukyus in October, Tulare was designated command ship for search and rescue operations for merchantmen "Pioneer Muse" and "Shiek", both aground off Kito Daito Shima. While "Tulare" directed the operation, arrived on the scene and contributed her Marine helicopters which plucked the survivors from the stranded ships.