on 16 December for holiday leave and upkeep. During the first three months of 1967, the ship conducted local operations around Hawaii, made repairs, and generally prepared to return to the Far East in late spring. Following an Operational Readiness Inspection in mid-April, she cleared Pearl Harbor on the 18th to join the 7th Fleet in the Orient. On 25 April, she changed operational control from the 1st Fleet to the 7th and, three days later, steamed into Yokosuka. During the first half of June, the destroyer participated in exercises with units of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and ships of the Republic of Korea Navy. After two days in port at Sasebo, she got underway on 19 June for her first line period on Yankee Station. Between 22 May and 25 June, she plied the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, plane-guarding for Hornet (CV-12) and providing gunfire support for Allied forces operating ashore. On 27 June, Taylor put into Subic Bay. After a tender availability at Subic Bay and a visit to Manila, she put to sea on 10 July to participate in SEATO exercise "Sea Dog." Between the 26th and the 28th, she visited Bang Saen on the Gulf of Thailand. After three more days on Yankee Station—from 28 July to 1 August— the destroyer made for Taiwan. She reached Kaohsiung on 3 August and remained until 15 August, when she headed back to the coast of Vietnam, Yankee Station sand pan operation. From 19 August to 11 September, she cruised along the Vietnamese coast providing naval gunfire support as needed by the forces operating ashore. She cleared the coast of Indochina on the 12th, and, after a five-day stop at Hong Kong and another tour of duty in the Gulf of Tonkin, she returned to Yokosuka on 11 October. Five days later, she shaped a course back to Hawaii. 1968 – 1969 Taylor arrived in Pearl Harbor on 23 October, and the destroyer commenced her regular overhaul on 11 December. Repairs and modifications occupied her time through the first three months of 1968. The warship completed overhaul on 22 March and conducted sea trials during the first week in April. Later, engineering problems forced the postponement of further operations until the end of the month. At that time, she began preparations for refresher training. The warship conducted refresher training in May and June, then got underway