On 13 November 1970 (Friday the 13th) Ozbourn left Long Beach for a six-month operational deployment in the western Pacific to Vietnam. Subic Bay, Philippines, was its deployed base. On 1 January 1971 Ozbourn joined up with the USS Hancock Task Group at Yankee Station in the South China Sea. 11 January Ozbourn transferred from the USS Hancock Task Group to the Task Group. Ozbourn also took on oil from USS Kiwhiswi. The third week of January, USS Ozbourn was in Hong Kong. The fourth week of January, they did repair work in Subic Bay, Philippines. From 1 to 21 February Ozbourn was on the gun-line at the Vietnam Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to provide naval gunfire support. On 21 February it docked briefly to a pier in Da Nang Harbor. The following two days were spent USS Ranger at Yankee Station. From 24 February through 2 March the destroyer patrolled Northern Search & Rescue Station (SAR) with . On 3 March the vessel sailed to Subic Bay for 40-hour upkeep. On 5 March they celebrated Ozbourns 25th anniversary. From 15 through 31 March Ozbourn was deployed at Yankee Station with USS Kitty Hawk. From 1–11 April, first day Ozbourn tied up at a pier in Da Nang, then Ozbourn steamed to the 2nd and 3rd Mil. Region of the gunline in the south. On 11 April Ozbourn docked briefly to the piers in Da Nang Harbor. From 12 to 23 April Ozbourn was stationed on the gunline at Vietnam DMZ. The ship left on 23 April for Subic Bay. Two days later Ozbourn departed Subic Bay for Long Beach. On 13 May 1971, Ozbourn arrived at Long Beach Naval Station. On 15 June Destroyer Division 92 was decommissioned, and Ozbourn transferred to Destroyer Squadron 19. On 17 June Ozbourn left Long Beach on a midshipman cruise to San Francisco, Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, and Pearl Harbor. The destroyer returned to Long Beach on 4 August. From 20 September through 18 January 1972, Ozbourn left the Mole and entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard dry dock for a four-month shipyard overhaul.
