Initially marked for preservation at the Darwin Military Museum, the vessel was sold into civilian service in 2001 after the Northern Territory government declined.

[1][2] Propulsion machinery consisted of two 16-cylinder Paxman YJCM diesel engines, which supplied 3,460 shaft horsepower (2,580 kW) to the two propellers.

[1][2] The ships were designed with as many commercial components as possible: the Attacks were to operate in remote regions of Australia and New Guinea, and a town's hardware store would be more accessible than home base in a mechanical emergency.

[8] On 23 July 1980, Ardent apprehended two Indonesian fishing boats poaching in Australian waters off Derby.

[16][17] In December 2013 it was patrolling the Strait of Malacca,[18] and in February 2018 detained three vessels illegally mining tin off the Bangka Belitung Islands.