"Theodore Roosevelt" commenced the Deactivation Availability process on 3 January 1980 at Submarine Base Bangor. In mid-year she was moved to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) for drydocking alongside "Abraham Lincoln", where the reactor fuel was removed and the missile compartment dismantled to comply with SALT requirements. The forward and aft ends of the hull were then re-joined at the aft bulkhead of the Operations compartment, and the forward bulkhead of the reactor compartment. The ship undocked and moved pier-side where a formal decommissioning ceremony occurred on 28 February 1981. The deactivation crew then detached and transferred to other Navy assignments. PSNS continued deactivation work pier-side, completing Deactivation Availability on 1 December 1982. The hull was placed in afloat storage at PSNS, and the ship stricken from the Naval Registry of Ships on that date. The hull remained in afloat storage in two configurations for almost 13 years, pending government decisions for the methods to dispose of de-fueled nuclear reactor compartments and the remaining hulls .