From 1934 to 1936, the USS Bushnell (AS-2), a submarine tender, operated primarily along the U.S. West Coast and in the Pacific, supporting submarine divisions by providing fuel, supplies, maintenance, and crew services. Based out of ports like San Diego and Pearl Harbor, she participated in fleet training exercises and maneuvers crucial to refining U.S. naval strategy during the interwar years. During downtime, she likely underwent overhauls at shipyards such as Mare Island or Puget Sound, helping maintain fleet readiness as the Navy modernized its submarine force ahead of World War II.