Since completing shakedown in the spring of 1970,
Roark a unit of DESRON 21, conducted training operations out of her homeport of
San Diego, California, until the end of the year. With 1971 she began preparations for her first deployment with the
7th Fleet in the
Western Pacific and departed from San Diego 7 January. After stopping at
Pearl Harbor and refueling at
Midway Island,
Roark suffered a fire in her engine room. The damage was sufficient to require her return to Pearl Harbor for repairs. Almost two months later, in March, she was underway again for WestPac. She remained in the western Pacific until July, when she started for home, arriving in
San Diego, California, on 10 August. For the remainder of 1971,
Roark operated out of San Diego. The new year, 1972, brought with it another deployment to the
Far East. She departed San Diego on 8 February and arrived in
Subic Bay, Philippines, on 29 February. She operated in the Western Pacific, primarily in the Vietnam area until 15 August, when she pointed her bow homeward.
Roark entered San Diego 30 August and remained in the vicinity for the duration of 1972 and the first eight months of 1973. She departed San Diego in August and arrived in Subic Bay on 31 August. After almost four months of deployment with the 7th Fleet,
Roark sailed into San Diego on 21 December 1973. As of summer 1984 USS Roark was assigned to Destroyer Squadron Nine, commanded by CAPT Thomas O. Gabriel. At that time DESRON NINE consisted of flagship Paul F. Foster (DD-964) and USS George Philip (FFG-12) stationed in Long Beach and USS Robison (DDG-12) and USS Roark homeported at 32nd St. Naval Station San Diego. USS Roark deployed with them in August 84 for Westpac, returning in March 1985. DESRON NINE had an integrated chaplain, LT Harold W. Staats, and had just been assigned its first medical officer in many years, LT David A Davis M.D. USS Roark was provided sick call, food service inspection, industrial hygiene, occupational health, and divine services throughout the deployment by multiple helicopter cable transfers.
Roark transferred to the Naval Reserve in 1987 and was decommissioned 14 December 1991. She was disposed of by scrapping, dismantling beginning on 13 October 2004. == Honors and awards ==