1 June, she entered Todd Shipyard, Seattle, for the most extensive overhaul conducted on an amphibious ship to that time. Lasting 18 months and costing nearly $30 million, the overhaul was completed on 7 December 1978. Thomaston returned to her home port of San Diego on 14 December. In February 1980 Thomaston and her crew received the Humanitarian Service Medal for her part in the radioactive cleanup operations on Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific. During USS Thomaston's 1981 Westpac as part of Amphibious Squadron Five, the ship and crew would receive a second Humanitarian Service Medal for the rescue of 77 Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea in April 1981. During this cruise she would make her only visit to Perth/Fremantle, Australia, from 28 May to 2 June 1981. USS Thomaston began her final deployment on 17 January 1984, making port calls at Manila, PI, Hong Kong, Pusan (Busan), South Korea and Pearl Harbor HI, all the while conducting exercises with three major exercises along with exercises with South Korean and Philippines naval units. USS Thomaston returned home to San Diego CA on 27 July 1984, completing 30 years of service. USS Thomaston was decommissioned 28 September 1984 and her name struck from the Naval Vessel Register 2 February 1992, and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, under temporary custody of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). The vessel was sold 29 September 1995 by MARAD to Pegasus Inc., but repossessed by the Navy, 1 July 1997. Permanent custody was reassigned to MARAD, 18 November 1998 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benicia, California. On 28 July 2011, Thomaston was sold by MARAD to All Star Metals of Brownsville, Tx for $894,708 to be dismantled. Thomaston departed the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 18 August 2011 to be cleaned by Allied Defense Recycling at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Thomaston was towed to Brownsville upon completion of the cleaning and has been scrapped.Thomaston'' received 11 battle stars, and the following: AFEM Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ASM Antarctica Service Medal CAR Combat Action Ribbon HSM Humanitarian Service Medal JMUA Joint Meritorious Unit Award MUC Meritorious Unit Commendation (two for Vietnam war service) NAVE Navy "E" Ribbon NEM Navy Expeditionary Medal NUC Navy Unit Commendation (one) PUC Presidential Unit Citation PRPUCB Republic of Philippine Presidential Unit Citation RVNCA Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Civil