cable repair ship resumed normal operations until late June when she deployed to the Pacific once more. She reached Hawaii on 29 July and departed again on 9 August for cable operations in the northernmost reaches of the Pacific, near the Aleutians chain. She completed those repairs late in the month and, after visits to Esquimalt, British Columbia, and San Diego, transited the canal on 20 September and arrived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, eight days later. During the first seven months of 1972, the cable repair ship operated along the eastern seaboard again. On 24 July, Thor departed Norfolk for her last assignment in the Pacific Ocean. She arrived at Alameda, California, on 11 August and conducted cable laying operations from there into late November. On the 24th, the ship cleared Alameda. She passed through the Panama Canal on 4 December and arrived back at Portsmouth on the 12th. On 17 January 1973, Thor embarked upon her last overseas cruise as a commissioned ship in the Navy. She arrived in Swansea, Wales, 10 days later and, after two days in port, put to sea for cable operations. From 14 February to 18 February, she visited the Submarine Base at Holy Loch, Scotland, before resuming cable operations near the Arctic Circle. She completed her assignment at the end of the month and, after another visit to Holy Loch during the first week in March, headed back to the United States. On 17 March, she returned to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to begin preparations for decommissioning incident to her transfer to the Military Sealift Command. Thor was decommissioned at Portsmouth on 2 July 1973 and simultaneously transferred to the custody of the Military Sealift Command. USNS Thor (T-ARC-4) operated with the Military Sealift Command, primarily in the Pacific, until April 1974. Disposal Thor was returned to the Maritime Administration to be placed in reserve. Berthed with the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California 31 July 1975. The ship was withdrawn 2 May 1977 for removal of cable machinery and returned to the reserve fleet on 1 June 1977. The ship was sold to National Metal & Steel Corporation for scrapping on 22 September 1977 as one of four ships sold for a total of $565,183.92. Footnotes References External links NavSource Online: AKA-49 Vanadis / ARC-4 Thor 51 Years of AKAs Artemis-class attack cargo ships Ships built in Providence, Rhode Island