replacement of the helo deck; repair of the two 3-inch/50 rear-facing guns; and the addition of a 25 mm Mk38 chain gun weapons system. She was relaunched in September 1986 at which time she did a short shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay until December 1986 when she returned to Charleston, South Carolina for a brief stop over to take on supplies before heading off to Holy Loch, Scotland in May 1987. In May 1987 Simon Lake returned to Scotland to again relieve USS Hunley at Holy Loch where in 1988 and 1991, she won Battle Efficiency 'E' awards. She remained on station there until the base was closed and all assets withdrawn in 1992. Sailing for Norfolk, Virginia, in March of that year, Simon Lake drew to a close thirty years of US Navy presence in Holy Loch, Scotland. In March 1992, Simon Lake returned to Norfolk to conduct an extensive overhaul. After completion of the overhaul and a visit to Palma, Spain in March 1993, she arrived at her new homeport of La Maddalena, Italy where she relieved . For superior service to the fleet, she received the Battle Efficiency 'E' award, Weapons Black "W" and Meritorious Unit Commendation awards for the period 7 July 1993 - 31 August 1994. In March 1998, the ship transited the Suez Canal to the United Arab Emirates where she supported Operation Southern Watch in the Persian Gulf. The vessel's performance in this period led to her receiving the Navy Unit Commendation and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. In June 1998, she returned to La Maddalena, Italy. Simon Lakes performance during her last two years of service was particularly noteworthy. Not only did she receive the awards associated with the Persian Gulf but she was nominated for the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award, received the 1997 and 1998 Battle Efficiency 'E' awards, the 1998 Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award, and the 1998 Golden Anchor award, and became the first surface ship to receive both the Enlisted Surface Warfare and the Surface Warfare Officer pennants. After being relieved by , Simon Lake departed La Maddalena on 11 May 1999 and crossed the Atlantic for Norfolk, Virginia to be decommissioned. Simon Lake was decommissioned on 31 July 1999 and, into 2008 was in the mothball fleet in Philadelphia. Simon Lake was placed out of service at Norfolk Naval Shipyards in Portsmouth, Virginia as part of