During her maiden voyage, "Groves" was assigned to units in support of US Marines stationed at the airport in Beirut, Lebanon. Arriving shortly after the barracks bombing in 1983, she was assigned to host the helicopter detachment from , enabling "New Jersey" to utilize all three of her turrets for attacking targets in the Beqaa Valley. Additionally, "Groves" protected "New Jersey" and other surface units from air threats. She tracked unidentified submarines, monitored Yasser Arafat's transit from Beirut to Cyprus, and entered Beirut harbor with other units to conduct direct fire support against units hostile to USMC positions. "Groves" was awarded a  Meritorious Unit Citation for these actions.