With the exception of two short excursions, one for nuclear capable certification and the other for COMTUEX 8–68, Sterett remained in home port until 19 June, when she departed San Pedro Bay for her first WestPac tour.

After stops at Pearl Harbor and Midway, she arrived in Yokosuka, Japan, on 5 July and began preparations for her first line period in the Tonkin Gulf.

[1] On 31 July 1968, Sterett relieved guided missile frigate USS Horne as Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone (PIRAZ) unit.

[1] In the results of the CRUDESPAC Battle Efficiency Competition announced in March, Sterett won the Green "E" for Operations, the White "E" for Missiles, the Red "E" for Engineering, and the Blue "E" for Supply.

When Sterett was relieved by USS Richmond K. Turner on 10 March, the turnover was shadowed by a Soviet Petya-class PCE, hull number 857.

The next day Sterett, en route to the Gulf of Tonkin, sighted a fishing boat north of Taiwan flying the Republic of Korea ensign.

Despite the heavy seas of a tropical storm Sterett immediately transferred food and fuel to the distressed craft, a vessel of some fifty feet with a crew of seven.

Sterett sent urgent message requests for additional assistance to COMNAVFORKOREA, who eventually arranged a commercial tow for the crippled fishing vessel.

Oklahoma City had EMCON (EMission CONdition) set to simulate the normal DD escort and Sterett passed track information on hostile aircraft over North Vietnam to the Talos ship via the Navy RED secure voice (KY-8) net and the NTDS Link 14 teletype.

On 25 March 1973 during transit, Sterett's LAMPS helicopter crashed while ferrying the chaplain between ships for religious services, fortunately, all crewmen survived.

Sterett's Tactical Data System equipment was removed in June and in July 1979, the ship began a regular overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard.

[citation needed] Sterett was involved in the search for the wreckage of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in late 1983; along with the United States Coast Guard Cutter Munro.

In the winter of 1985 Sterett, departed her tropical homeport and transited once again to the North Pacific Ocean to conduct surveillance on the newest Soviet aircraft carrier upon its departure from Vladivostok, Russia.

In February 1986 the vessel set sail for Manila Harbor from Subic Bay Naval Base for the possible evacuation of the Philippine presidential family during the People Power Revolution.

In 1991, Sterett received a comprehensive overhaul including New Threat Upgrade (NTU), a major anti-aircraft warfare systems improvement.