Wood County disembarked the refugees at San Juan and returned to the Dominican Republic with marines and a few newspapermen embarked. En route, the ship transferred the newsmen to the before she landed the marines in an amphibious operation near Santo Domingo. Moving to Puerto de Haina for the second time, Wood County embarked 1,013 more refugees and ferried them to San Juan. Upon completion of this task, Wood County remained in the vicinity, on patrol duty in a stand-by status, until she returned north and put into Little Creek on 30 June. Mediterranean , 1966–1967 Wood County operated locally off the Virginia Capes into February 1966. She later transported an engineering battalion to Vieques before commencing a restricted availability in April. During July, the tank landing ship operated between Santo Domingo and San Juan. In September and October, the ship prepared for an impending Mediterranean deployment. Wood County escorted Naval Ocean going tugs across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean; and lifted the 3rd Battalion, 8th Engineers, to Rota, Spain, before she participated in a combined amphibious assault with French units at Lovo Santo, Corsica in November 1966. The tank landing ship took part in an amphibious exercise off Sardinia in January 1967 and in two more during March before undertaking a role in a joint amphibious evolution with ships of the Italian Navy at Tagliamento river, Italy and another exercise off Sardinia in April. In reserve, 1967–1970 On her return voyage to the United States in May, 1967 Wood County offloaded Marines and equipment at Morehead City and then entered the Baltimore Shipyard for an overhaul which lasted from June, 1967 to September, 1967. The tank landing ship then was placed in reserve operating status in December 1967 to be effective until January, 1970. During this reserve period, Wood County operated in a restricted operating status and with a reduced manning level, due to the problems associated with the ship's main propulsion system, the six Fairbanks Morse diesel engines. While Wood County remained pier side at Little Creek for the greater part of 1969, her crew labored to preserve and maintain the ship and conducted training on board and on shore. The tank landing ship was also used as a demonstration ship for the amphibious school (a stationary training aid) through the summer of 1969. Groups of students from the school came on board periodically to tour the LST-type