Groton departed on its first overseas deployment in March 1980 to the Indian Ocean. The submarine made its way back to the homeport of Groton, CT by way of the Panama Canal. Groton completed the Around-the-World Cruise in October 1980. Groton was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 7 November 1997. Ex-Groton is scheduled to enter the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington.