In June 1973 the ship completed a fuel oil conversion to navy distillate and in July was transferred to the Naval Reserve Force(NRF), changing homeport to Brooklyn, NY. During the period 1973–1979 the mission of the Fox was that of training the Naval Reserve component of the Navy. In Feb 1978 the ship departed Brooklyn for selected refresher training in Cuba. Upon completion in March she returned to Brooklyn and during that time was assigned numerous duties with elements of the second fleet.