Mediterranean from January through June 1989, during which she made stops in Scotland, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. From August through December 1990, Whale was sent on a North Atlantic deployment under the command of Commander Ronald Deering, for which she was awarded her fifth Meritorious Unit Commendation. In 1991, Whale was awarded the last Battle Efficiency Award (Battle "E") from Submarine Squadron 10 She then was assigned to Submarine Squadron 2 and conducted a second "Northern Run" (i.e., North Atlantic deployment) in 1991. In 1992, Whale participated in UNITAS XXXIII, an expedition around South America while under the command of Commander Andrew V. Harris, Jr., During UNITAS XXXIII she made port calls in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia. The port visit in Panama was a somber one due to the sudden loss of the ship's chief yeoman due to a heart attack. During UNITAS Whale again crossed the Equator, and transited the Panama Canal, (South to North), returning to port in November. In 1993, Whale visited Bermuda, while transiting from the Autec Torpedo Firing Range, and Florida ports of call, conducted a scientific exercise under the ice cap at the North Pole and in the North Atlantic. Following the final Change of Command in January 1994, Whale deployed to the Arctic with in support of combined United States and Royal Navy testing of submarine equipment as well as collection of environmental data in the polar region. JOINTSUBICEX 1-94 saw Whales second North Pole surfacing on 16 April 1994, 25 years and 10 days, after her first polar surfacing in 1969. Around this time, Whale circumnavigated the globe by circling the North Pole underwater to earn each crewmember the Order of Magellan. This circumnavigation occurred in about 15 minutes as the ship used underwater navigational means to cross every longitude, a feat that only a submarine could accomplish in 1994. Following visits to Norway, Germany and Scotland, Whale returned to SUBRON TWO in July 1994. Following a circumnavigation of the world, Whale was deactivated while still in commission on 28 April 1995. Whale was placed in reserve, in commission, on 1 October 1995. Decommissioning and disposal Whales scrapping via the U.S. Navy's Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, at Bremerton, began on 20 October 1995. She was officially decommissioned on 25 June 1996, and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same