During the bulk of its career, it was used for transportation for French nuclear tests in Polynesia or humanitarian aid.

In the latter half its career, the vessel was converted for signals intelligence and was replaced by Dupuy de Lôme in 2006.

[3] The ship was initially powered by UNI UD 33-V12-M5 diesel engines turning two shafts with controllable pitch propellers, creating 4,800 brake horsepower (3,600 kW).

[2][3] The vessel had a 400 hp (300 kW) bow thruster for increased maneuverability during anchoring and amphibious landing operations.

[3] The ship was not initially armed, but later mounted two 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns and was fitted for but not with two Simbad launchers for Mistral surface-to-air missiles.

After the conversion to an intelligence ship, the vessel was fitted with communications intercept sensors and Syracuse II SATCOM.

Bougainville was based in Polynesia, where it performed missions of Tahiti-Hao-Mururoa-Fangataufa (inter-island maritime transport), supporting French nuclear testing.

[4] Once the Directorate of Nuclear Experimentation was closed in 1997,[4] Bougainville returned to France from Papeete in November 1998.

[3] In October 2001, it was tasked with collecting information in the Indian Ocean as part of the War in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks.

[5] Five years later, in 2013, the ship was used as a breakwater for a drydock containing the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.