"Sculpin" participated in the RIMPAC exercise during April and May 1978, which included port call in Pearl Harbor. In June 1978, "Sculpin" left San Diego and headied south. She traversed the Panama Canal on the 2nd of July, followed by a memorable port call at Willemstad, Curaçao. From there she continued North to her new home port, Groton, Connecticut. During the fall of that year, she participated in the Northern Wedding Exercises with a stop at Holy Loch Scotland for repairs. The ship returned to Groton for the Holiday Season and the crew got their first taste of Winter in New England.