Decommissioned and struck from the Navy List 01 December 1983.

Following shakedown training off the eastern coast of the U.S., USS THOMAS A. EDISON (SSBN-610) loaded Polaris missiles at Charleston, S.C., and embarked upon her first deterrent patrol on 7 November 1962. She concluded that patrol at the base at Holy Loch, Scotland, whence she operated for the next four years and 17 deterrent patrols. In September 1966, her official home port was changed from New London, Connecticut to Charleston, South Carolina, in preparation for her first major overhaul. She end her 17th patrol at Charleston on 15 October 1966 and began her overhaul on the 28th. She completed repairs on 9 May 1968; and, after post-overhaul sea trials and shakedown, she embarked upon her 18th deterrent patrol on 22 September 1968. Over the next five years, she operated out of New London and Rota, Spain, from which ports she conducted another 19 patrols in the Atlantic.

In June of 1973, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet, arriving in San Diego on 11 July. After a short period of operations with Submarine Group 5, she moved to Vallejo on 6 August to begin another overhaul, this time at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. On 30 November 1974, the fleet ballistic missile submarine completed repairs and, following shakedown in January and February of 1975, she transited the Panama Canal again in March to fire test missiles near Cape Canaveral, Florida. She concluded that mission in July and retransited the canal on 8 August. THOMAS A. EDISON carried out operations along the west coast until December at which time she headed for her new homeport, Guam and continued to conduct deterrent patrols from her base in Apra until 1980 when she was reclassified an SSN. She was decommissioned 30 November 1983 and transferred to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard where she was disposed of through the SRP 1 December 1997.