The vessel was built as RFA Largs Bay by Swan Hunter in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear.

During her career with the RFA, Largs Bay served as the British ship assigned to patrol the Falkland Islands in 2008, and delivered relief supplies following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

At the end of 2010, Largs Bay was marked as one of the vessels to be removed from service under the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

The Bay class was designed as a replacement for the Round Table-class logistics ships operated by the RFA.

However, a temporary hangar may be fitted and in Australian service the twin-spot flight deck has been extensively utilized with the embarkation of Blackhawk, MRH-90 and Seahawk helicopters.

[4] Largs Bay was laid down at Swan Hunter's shipyard at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear on 28 January 2002; the first ship of the class work started on.

[14] Four months after entering service, an engine room fire resulted in steering and propulsion issues, requiring Largs Bay to be towed to Plymouth for repairs.

[15] In late November 2007, Largs Bay embarked 815 Naval Air Squadron 215 Flight and left home waters for the Caribbean to conduct counter-drug operations.

[16] She visited eleven islands including Barbados, Curaçao, Grand Turk, Martinique, Trinidad and also the USA.

[16] Three days after leaving Barbados Largs Bay's patrolling helicopter spotted a small fishing vessel stopped in the water and detained her after a pursuit; 575 kilograms (1,268 lb) of cocaine were recovered, with an estimated £20 million European street value.

[16] In late 2008, it was reported that Largs Bay was to replace HMS Northumberland for duties in the Falkland Islands.

[22] In December 2010, it was announced that the ship would be decommissioned in April 2011 as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

[30] During a 16-week docking at the A&P Group shipyard in Falmouth, the modifications were made, along with refit work to maintain the ship's Lloyds certification.

[32] The name comes from Chief Petty Officer Claude Choules, who served in both the Royal Navy and the RAN during his career, and was the last known living participant in World War I.

[47] Choules was deployed to Vanuatu on 30 September 2017 to aid in the rescue of 11,000 people from a volcanic eruption of Monaro Voui.

[citation needed] In January 2020, Choules was deployed to the coastal town of Mallacoota in East Gippsland, Victoria, to evacuate thousands of people trapped by bushfires and to ferry them south to Hastings in Western Port Bay.

[52] Choules underwent a major refit between 2020 - 2021 as part of SEA3030-2 Capability Assurance Project, Mid-Life Upgrade (CAP) by A&P Australia.