The fourth USS Surprise and fifth American naval ship of the name was an Asheville-class patrol gunboat that served in the United States Navy from 1969 to 1973.

Surprise was a fast gunboat powered by geared diesel engines for cruising, with a gas turbine which could be cut in for high speeds.

After a pre-commissioning voyage through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, USS Surprise was commissioned at Boston Massachusetts, on 17 October 1969.

The formation was joined by amphibious transport dock USS Duluth on 28 January 1970 and steamed into San Diego on 7 February 1970.

On 20 September 1970, her home port was switched back to Little Creek, Virginia, and on 8 October 1970 she departed San Diego to return to the U.S. East Coast.

She arrived at Rota, Spain, on 1 December 1970 and shifted operational control to the United States Sixth Fleet.

Throughout her tour, she visited numerous ports on the Mediterranean littoral, including Naples, Souda Bay, Monaco, Cartageña, and Venice.