 "Whiting" made her final cruise in NOAA service in 2002, when she deployed to the United States Virgin Islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the southeast coast of the United States in support of homeland security and nautical charting.She returned in November 2002, bringing an end to 39 years of service.Finding the aging "Whiting" no longer economical to operate, NOAA decommissioned her on 2 May 2003.