She then moved to her new home port, Charleston, South Carolina, and departed for her first deterrent patrol on 17 August 1964.

In 1987, Henry Clay's Gold Crew underwent an unannounced Operational Reactor Safeguards Examination (ORSE).

Henry Clay spent a record 121 days (April–August) beneath the North Atlantic waves on deterrent patrol.

After its successful patrol, the Henry Clay pulled into Norfolk, VA for a brief rest and to pick up many of the crew's (male) family members for a three-day, fun "Tiger Cruise" to her home port of Charleston, South Carolina.

She entered the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington, for scrapping, which was completed on 30 September 1997.