on 9 February Wood County returned home via Barcelona and Gibraltar and arrived at Little Creek on 28 February. However, soon after returning to her home port, Wood County began preparations to return to the Mediterranean. The coming deployment would be especially significant, as Wood County had been assigned the task of support ship to the product of the Navy's newest developments in hydrofoil technology, the gunboat . On 22 March 1971, Tucumcari was deck-loaded piggyback on board Wood County; and, three days later, the tank landing ship sailed from Little Creek, bound for the first stop on the special demonstration deployment. Over the ensuing months, Wood County and Tucumcari visited seven NATO nations and 16 ports: Copenhagen and Frederikshavn, Denmark; Kiel and Olpenitz, Germany; Portsmouth and the Isle of Portland, England; and Rendsburg, Germany. Then, after a transit of the Kiel Canal, she stopped at Rosyth, Scotland; Brest and Toulon, France; Naples, Brindisi, La Spezia, and Augusta, Sicily; Athens, Greece; and Gölcük, Turkey. Tucumcari was demonstrated in hopes that NATO would develop a guided-missile hydrofoil weapons system. In addition to providing a base of operations and facilities for briefings and discussions between United States liaison officers and foreign representatives, Wood County provided logistics support, messing and berthing facilities, and engaged in numerous public relations efforts to promote international goodwill. The performance of Wood County and Tucumcari both elicited praise from the Chief of Naval Operations; Commander Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; the United States NATO Mission; Commander in Chief, United States Naval Forces Europe, and others. Decommissioning and scrapping, 1972–1989 Upon Wood County's return, she offloaded Tucumcari and began preparations for a Board of Inspection and Survey inspection in November. Following that, Wood County was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 15 February 1972. On 1 May 1972, Wood County was decommissioned. Wood County was berthed in the James River, part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in temporary custody of the Maritime Administration, from 1972 to July 1977. After that date, the tank landing ship was shifted to the Portsmouth berthing area, where she remained until struck from the Naval Vessel Register 16 February 1989. Wood County was scrapped in July 2002 at Transforma Marine, Brownsville, Texas. Wood County received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for the Dominican Republic Intervention of 1965. See also List of United States Navy LSTs The Wood County had her engines overhauled at