Kong, B.C.C., Coontz headed for her home port, San Diego, via Sydney, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand, Pago Pago American Samoa and Pearl Harbor, arriving in San Diego 8 February 1968. During the leave and upkeep period a Test and Evaluation Monitoring System (TEAMS) was installed for evaluation during operations with the First Fleet. This was the first automatic test system to be installed in the surface fleet. The operations included participation in the summer midshipmen cruise. Ports visited during this cruise were San Francisco, Seattle, and Pearl Harbor. Coontz then took part in First Fleet operations; including exercise Beat Cadence until Deploying on 15 November 1968. Fourth Vietnam tour Coontz arrived on Yankee Station one month later and spent Christmas on the line. On 8 February 1969, Commander Donald P. Roane relieved Commander Geiger as Commanding Officer before Coontz made a visit to Hong Kong, B.C.C. Coontz returned to the Gulf of Tonkin for another Search and Rescue mission before going north for upkeep at Yokosuka, Japan. After an EC-121 aircraft was shot down by North Korean jets, Coontz was rushed into the Sea of Japan. From that assignment, Coontz returned to San Diego via Subic Bay on 18 May. Third modernization Leave and upkeep followed. In September 1969, Coontz participated in a HUKASWEX operation at sea as a unit of the First Fleet. After several more sea periods, Coontz went into an extensive upkeep period. During the year of 1969, Coontz won awards for excellence in Supply, Operations and ASW. The upkeep continued until deployment on 3 March 1970. On 8 July 1970, Commander Roane was relieved as Commanding Officer by Commander T.J. Bowen. In January 1971, shortly after her last Seventh Fleet tour, Coontz departed San Diego via the Panama Canal for Atlantic waters and a major overhaul and modernization at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. In conjunction with this work, Coontz DLG-9 was decommissioned on 23 February 1971. After extensive anti-air warfare modification, Coontz was recommissioned on 18 March 1972 and transferred to her new home port of Newport, Rhode Island. Commander T.R.M.Emery was assigned to Coontz as Commanding Officer on 8 March 1972. After a six-month test period in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and other operations in the Caribbean, Coontz sailed on a "show the flag" cruise to South America and Africa. Subsequently, she entered Boston Naval Shipyard for a three-month Post Shakedown Availability. Following extensive training