He rose to be Chief of Naval Staff and later served as the Commissioner of the New Zealand Fire Service.
[1] Following the Second World War, Thorne spent time with the Royal Navy 2nd Minesweeping Squadron and returning to New Zealand he served in Taupo, Bellona and Kaniere.
In 1972 he was promoted to rear admiral and was appointed New Zealand's Chief of Naval Staff.
[3] In 1953, Thorne was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.
[5] Thorne was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1975 Queen's Birthday Honours.