"Wrangell" left the Mediterranean on 13 January 1968, departing Rota, Spain, on that day and sailing for the east coast of the United States. Arriving back at Charleston 10 days later, the ship provided services that spring and exercised in various phases of training or upkeep. After short periods at the Naval Weapons Stations at Charleston, South Carolina, and Yorktown, Virginia — where ammunition was transferred and the crew was indoctrinated to the special elements of weapons handling — "Wrangell" spent much time in drills and exercises to implement in-port training.