On 18 May 1964 the "new" destroyer, now equipped with ASROC and DASH, left the shipyard and steamed for her new homeport, Newport, R.I. After training along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean, the destroyer deployed on 27 November 1964 for operations with the 6th Fleet and the Middle East Force. Operating primarily in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean, "Richard E. Kraus" added merchant ship assistance and good will visits to East African ports to her destroyer duties. Returning to Newport on 13 March 1965, "Kraus" conducted ASW exercises and was part of the Gemini 6 Recovery Force, serving on station off western Africa until that mission was canceled.