She was named for Commodore Josiah Tattnall III USN (1794–1871) – also commandant of the CSS Virginia, and an admiral in the Confederate States Navy – who made the adage "blood is thicker than water" a part of American history.
Following missile firings and gunnery practice in the San Juan operating area, Tattnall departed the western Atlantic on 7 December for her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea.
During project D/S 336, Tattnall's crew averaged 10 to 12 hours a day at general quarters as they tracked single and multiple-plane air raids and simulated missile firings.
On the 24th, she entered Amsterdam in the Netherlands for a week, then put to sea for hunter-killer operations and visits to the European ports of Hamburg, Bergen, Edinburgh, and Le Havre.
After four months operating out of Mayport, Tattnall steamed north to Chespeake Bay, where she assisted in tests conducted at Randle Cliffs, Md., by scientists of the Naval Research Laboratory.
On 6 January 1975, the warship sailed to Rapallo, Italy for an 8-day goodwill visit with local leaders followed by a brief stop in La Spezia to meet with senior Italian Navy officials.
Following a routine visit to Palermo, Sicily (9–14 March), she participated in exercises with the Forrest Sherman (DD-931) en route to join Carrier Task Group 60.2 for operations simulating an opposed passage of the Strait of Messina.
The guided-missile destroyer refueled from Neosho (AO-143) while sailing to Barcelona (10–18 April) where she embarked Rear Admiral Nicholson, Commander, Carrier Striking Group Two for meetings with high ranking Spanish military and civilian dignitaries.
Tattnall successfully completed an Operational Readiness Examination and conducted exercises prior to passing through the Strait of Gibraltar en route to Rota, Spain (26 April-2 May).
On the 5th, the Tattnall joined Leahy (DLG/CG-16) in Portsmouth, England to sail to Leningrad (12–17 May) in the Soviet Union for a visit in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe during World War II.
Tattnall tested the performance of her missile systems at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico then sailed to Guantanamo Bay for refresher training (8 October – 10 November).
Tattnall began 1978 as part of the 2nd Fleet "Ready Alert Group" and twice interrupted her holiday leave period on 4 and 7 January to get underway on less than 24 hours notice.
The warship preparations for deployment included a propulsion examination, naval gunfire support qualification, and highly successful supply management inspection.
An availability (22 January – 15 February) alongside Yosemite (AD-19) followed and after successful completion of inspections, the warship got underway on the 16th to join Independence (CV-62) for a week of exercises hampered by bad weather off Jacksonville and the Virginia Capes.
On 8 April, members of Tattnall's Rescue and Assistance Detail helped bring a fire that caused significant damage under control in Manley (DD-940) while the pair berthed in Mayport.
On 20 August, the guided-missile destroyer joined Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) 3–79 during which she fired her surface-to-air, surface-to-surface missiles and successfully launched an anti-submarine rocket (ASROC), and a Mark 46 torpedo.
Following a combat system review and inspections, the warship conducted sea trials (19–20 November) during which the ship played host to a troop of Mayport-area Boy Scouts and two participants in the Secretary of the Navy's Guest Cruise Program.
As Tattnall completed her long days of preparation for her 27 November departure from Mayport, the ship learned that she had earned six Battle Efficiency Awards for the previous year.
Tattnall squeezed a two-day goodwill visit to Berbera, Somalia between stops for fuel in Djibouti (22 and 29 March) prior to transiting the Suez Canal on 3 April.
On 2 July, with only fourteen hours notice, Tattnall got underway as DESRON 24 flagship of a quick reaction task group that included Koelsch, Truett (FF-1095), and Manitowoc (LST-1180).
The guided-missile destroyer suffered substantial damage from an electrical fire in the after engine room upon her departure from Honduras, but this did not deter her from earning the top score for her class of ship in naval gunfire support qualification at Vieques (7 September).
After completion of her sea trials, Tattnall set sail from Philadelphia Naval Shipyard one day ahead of her scheduled 28 November 1982 departure date.
Shortly before leaving Guantanamo Bay, the guided-missile destroyer responded to a call for help from Coral Sea (CV-43) following her collision with an Ecuadoran tanker, but the aircraft carrier managed to get underway without assistance.
In early May, Tattnall returned to Mayport for a brief maintenance availability prior to sailing to Mobile, Alabama to help celebrate the opening of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
The guided-missile cruiser conducted more surveillance operations in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf en route to Bahrain where the ship enjoyed a five-day port visit prior to moving to a training anchorage on the 22nd to practice engineering and damage control exercises.
Although a 23 December fast cruise concluded her availability, the need for a significant amount of work on her underwater hull led to the guided-missile destroyer being towed to Jacksonville Shipyard on 13 January 1987 for three months in drydock.
The ship occupied herself with inspections, sea trials, and a visit to Jacksonville as part of the "Say No to Drugs" program ahead of her 5 June departure for refresher training at Guatanamo Bay.
With a Coast Guard detachment embarked, the guided-missile destroyer interdicted a small Haitian sailing vessel with 150 refugees bound for United States.
After enjoying an availability alongside Sierra (AD-18) in Naples until 17 April, the warship put into Trieste on the 19th to join vessels from several other NATO countries to form Naval on Call Forces Mediterranean (NAVOCFORMED).
After another availability alongside Sierra, this time in Majorca, the warship visited Toulon (26 July – 1 August) then sailed to the eastern Mediterranean for Operation "Flashing Scimitar".