visit the submariners distributed books, toys, vitamins, and athletic equipment and, in conjunction with the Royal Thai Navy, constructed basketball backboards and ping-pong tables. They concluded the one-day goodwill visit with a joint picnic and Hollywood movies for the islanders. While at Yokosuka, Japan, from 10 to 20 April 1968, Bugara hosted the crew of the British submarine . On 27 April 1968, Bugara departed Yokosuka, made a half-day stopover at Pearl Harbor, and proceeded to San Diego, which she reached on 16 May 1968. From 16 May to 18 June 1968, Bugara underwent upkeep at San Diego. From 19 June to 1 August 1968 she provided services to Commander, Naval Air Forces, Pacific, and Commander Training Command, Pacific, and conducted individual ship exercises and additional underway training. On 2 August 1968, she conducted a dependents cruise for families and friends of her crew. A demonstration cruise followed for PACNARMID on 12–13 August. From 14 to 21 August 1968, Bugara participated in Strike Ex-68, a major fleet exercise off the coast of Southern California, and Commander, U.S. First Fleet, and Commander, Submarine Flotilla 1, both commended her for her performance during the exercise. She spent in port, engaged in submarine crew training, and providing services for Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. From 17 September to 10 October 1968, she underwent repairs at Campbell Machine Company in San Diego, with post-repair sea trials conducted on 10 October. From 22 to 25 October 1968, she provided services for the submarine off San Francisco, followed by a one-day visit to San Francisco. On 30 October 1968, she conducted a demonstration cruise for Pacific Southwest Airlines employees at San Diego. From , she again provided services for Gurnard off San Francisco. She spent the remainder of 1968 in port except for seven days of training and individual ship’s exercises at sea. From 1 to 26 January 1969, Bugara conducted workups off Southern California, in preparation for another deployment to the Western Pacific. Underway from 27 January to 26 February 1969, en route from San Diego, she proceeded to Pearl Harbor before passing through San Bernardino Strait in the Philippines for a port visit at Subic Bay on Luzon. Other ports she visited during her cruise included Manila; Hong Kong; Bangkok and Sattahip, Thailand; and Kaoshiung, Taiwan. From 19 February to 20 July 1969 she was assigned as a unit of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. This