Task Group flagship for the Pacific Phase of the annual UNITAS exercise conducted with naval forces from five nations off the coast of Chile.

When the U.S. entered World War II, Fife was Chief of Staff of Submarine Squadron 20 in the Philippines (part of the Asiatic Fleet under Admiral T. C. Hart).

On 6 March 1978 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi the keel was laid for USS Fife, the 29th Spruance-class destroyer.

Designed for modern antisubmarine warfare and to replace the many retiring World War II-era ships, the Spruance-class destroyer was intended to operate as a multi-mission warship either independently or in company with amphibious or carrier task groups.

Powered by gas turbine engines and armed with antisubmarine rockets (ASROC), Harpoon and Sea Sparrow missiles and two 5 in (130 mm)/54 guns, Fife possessed a technical superiority with her advanced SQS-53 sonar and third generation naval tactical data system (NTDS).

Departing San Diego on 29 August, she quickly steamed north to Alaska to conduct two weeks of surveillance on a Soviet Task Force operating in American waters.

Returning to San Diego on 22 September, Fife conducted final weapon system tests and exercises in preparation for her first overseas deployment.

Heading west from San Diego on 5 January 1982, Fife joined several other ships and sailed from Pearl Harbor via Guam to Subic Bay, Philippines.

Exercise "Team Spirit" in South Korea preceded war-at-sea evolutions with three American aircraft carriers as part of "READIEX 82" in April.

On 20 July 1983 The New York Times reported that the Fife along with seven other vessels in the USS Ranger Battle Group left San Diego on Friday 15 July 1983 and were headed for the western Pacific when they were rerouted and ordered to steam for Central America to conduct training and flight operations in areas off the coasts of Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras as part of major military exercises planned for that summer.

While operating with the Ranger on 17 November, the Soviet guided missile frigate Razyashchiy approached the warships in what the US ships saw as a violation of international agreements for preventing collisions at sea.

During the return trip north, Fife intercepted the Soviet aircraft carrier Novorossiysk and performed a brief period of surveillance before rendezvousing again with the Ranger battlegroup.

The following sixteen months were spent preparing for her next overseas deployment, with the warship's time split between local training operations, a series of overhaul periods at Long Beach (where she received new propeller blades, weapons, and electronics), and various propulsion plant inspections and pre-deployment refresher exercises.

Following a brief stop in Subic Bay, the destroyer continued west through the Strait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean and an exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy.

In late September, Fife steamed in the vicinity of Socotra in the Gulf of Aden to conduct surveillance operations against the Soviet Navy, a mission carried out again in the Red Sea during October.

After port calls to Mombassa, Kenya, and Victoria, Seychelles, Fife sailed for home on 13 November, arriving in San Diego on 21 December.

During the yard work – which was interrupted in mid-February 1987 by bomb threats made by disgruntled shipyard workers – Fife received numerous mission-expanding upgrades.

During the first few months as the crew settled into their new home Fife made several short excursions, including an ASW operation in October and port visits to Subic Bay and Hong Kong in November and December 1988.

During Operation Desert Shield, Fife helped enforce trade sanctions against Iraq as part of the Maritime Interception Force.

Departing the Persian Gulf on 9 March, the destroyer stopped at Pattaya Beach, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Subic Bay, before returning to Yokosuka on 17 April.

Departing Japan again on 15 April 1992, Fife made liberty stops at Bali, Indonesia, Singapore, and Phukett, before arriving at Muscat, Oman, on 19 May.

After transiting the Straits of Hormuz on 24 May, the warship came under control of the newly established Central Command in the Persian Gulf and helped enforce United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

In company with the Independence battle group, Fife sailed for home on 17 September and, following stops at Pattaya Beach and Hong Kong, arrived in Yokosuka on 13 October.

On 4 July 1995 the destroyer USS Fife conducted a five-day port visit to Vladivostok, Russia, during which it celebrate both America's Independence Day and the city's 135th anniversary.

In a reprise of her last visit, Fife assumed the duties of Ready Strike Platform in the northern Persian Gulf and carried out Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) as required.

As part of the latter duties, Fife's Visit, Boarding, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) team uncovered thousands of contraband automobile tires and batteries hidden in the Indian-flagged tramp Al Shakeel.

On 6 June, during RIMPAC '96, Fife helped protect Independence during the numerous war-at-sea exercises and attacks by "enemy" surface action groups and submarines.

During a Bible Study session with crewmembers on 15 December 1996, Captain Tamayo fell into a coma and died while being transported to the Yokosuka Naval Hospital emergency room via the Fife's HSL-51 Detachment TWO helicopter.

Hospital Corpsman Chief (HMC) David Taylor and Aviation Warfare Systems Operator Second Class (AW2) Sean Kugler performed CPR on Captain Tamayo both prior to and for the entirety of the 45-minute flight.

In July, Fife embarked Commander, Destroyer Squadron 14, and served as the US Flagship in the Chilean-sponsored UNITAS 43-02 Pacific Phase exercises.