on 5 May 1976. During this tour, she honed her skills in exercises with other ships of the U.S. Navy and NATO naval units of foreign countries. During the deployment, she visited Bizerte, Tunisia; Augusta Bay, Sicily; and La Spezia and Naples, Italy. After departing the Mediterranean Sea on 6 September 1976, she took part in exercise "Ocean Safari '76" in mid-month. On 14 October 1976, she returned to New London. William H. Bates underwent voyage repairs and later prepared for another overseas deployment. She departed New London during the summer of 1977 and completed her assigned mission on 3 October 1977, mooring alongside the submarine tender that day. She subsequently transited the North Sea for a port visit to Bremerhaven, West Germany, where she spent five days. She then took part in exercise "Ocean Safari '77" with NATO units while returning from European waters to New London. William H. Bates operated in the Atlantic into early 1978 until moving to a new home port, San Diego, California, in May 1978 for service in the United States Pacific Fleet. 1978–1989 From 1978 through early 1989, William H. Bates operated from San Diego while attached to Submarine Squadron 11, conducting numerous Western Pacific deployments and operations, such as "Exercise Team Spirit" with the Republic of Korea Navy and the navies of various other countries. During her deployments, she conducted port visits at Subic Bay in the Philippines, at Chinhae in South Korea, at Yokosuka and Sasebo in Japan, at Guam, and at Satahip in Thailand, among other places. In mid-1989, William H. Bates transited northward from San Diego, stopped at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, for minor repairs and to allow her crew to rest, and then continued up the United States West Coast and entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington, for an extensive refueling overhaul and retrofit. 1991–2000 In 1991, after completion of the refueling overhaul, William H. Bates homeport was changed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in April, 1991 and assigned to Submarine Squadron 1, from which she completed several Western Pacific deployments and operations during the 1990s, including fit-up of Dry Deck Shelter 06-P in December 1991, a 6-month Western Pacific deployment 18 June-18 December 1992 including port visits in Guam, Yokosuka, and Hong Kong, a 56-day deployment to the Western Pacific 23 June-18 August 1993 which included participation in Exercise Tandem Thrust '93, a