in 1919, the "thistle" was ordered back around cape horn to west africa, but not before her new commanding officer had restored her sailing rig in order to compensate for her damaged engines. even after her machinery was repaired, the "thistle" subsequently retained her sails to supplement her propulsion. she finally arrived back in england for decommissioning in 1925, after an absence of over twenty years in distant waters. by this time, she was the last remaining sailing warship of the royal navy.