On 2 September 1958, "Worcester" departed Long Beach and steamed for the Mare Island Naval Shipyard to commence the inactivation process. She was decommissioned at Mare Island on 19 December 1958 and simultaneously placed in reserve. "Worcester" was subsequently berthed at San Francisco and. later, at Bremerton, Washington, before she was struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1970. She was sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, for disposal on 5 July 1972. The light cruiser, that never had a chance to prove herself in her designed role, was subsequently broken up for scrap.