transiting the Strait of Malacca on the way to Diego Garcia, BIOT. When got hit by an Iraqi Exocet missile in May 1987, the Constellation battle group deployed to the North Arabian Sea, while Ouellet went south to have port visits at Saint-Denis, Réunion – which was a historic visit of sorts as no American Navy ship made a port call there in over 100 years – then off to Port Victoria, Seychelles. The warship then joined the rest of the battle group in the North Arabian Sea in support of Operation Earnest Will. Ouellet was detached from Battle Group Delta and proceeded with with port visits to Phuket, Thailand and Singapore. The frigate then detached from Cochrane and proceeded to Subic Bay, RPI where she had a 3-week stay before the battle group caught up and proceeded home with her. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 6 October 1987. Ouellet started out 1988 with a special operation coordinated by the United States Coast Guard to capture Christina M, a cargo vessel laden with over 12 tons of marijuana. Instead of regular overhaul, Ouellet spent most of 1988 in a Ship's Restricted Availability repairing and upgrading most of her systems. Following extensive training, Ouellet made her ninth deployment in mid December 1988, where she headed to the Sea of Japan and the North Pacific Ocean. On 21 April 1989 USS Ouellet was first US Naval Vessel on scene for security and initial salvage of a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, AF Ser. No. 61-7974. She returned on 26 May 1989 to turn around and prepare to get underway again in September 1989 for "Pacific Exercises 89" (PAC EX 89). In May 1989, Ouellet assisted firefighting efforts aboard where six sailors were killed. Upon return to Pearl Harbor in November 1989 she went into dry dock, refloating in February 1990. After extensive preparations and an exhaustive inspection cycle, Ouellet departed in August 1990 to Central America in support of law enforcement operations. 1990s Operations with a detachment of Coast Guard personnel to act as a legal "policing force" aboard Ouellet. This was the first time that a Coast Guard flag flew from a U.S. Navy warship in operations such as these. In search for drug smugglers, the frigate recovered close to 1 ton of pure, unprocessed cocaine, which was jettisoned from an unknown vessel trying to elude authorities. While on Law Enforcement Ops