Constructed by Western Boat Building Corp and commissioned in 1966, the vessel served as part of the USCG for sixteen years before being decommissioned in 1982 and transferred to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

During her Coast Guard service, Bitt was based in Washington and Alaska, where she was utilized mainly in a law enforcement and search and rescue (SAR) role.

[5] She was initially homeported at Bellingham, Washington where her duties included law enforcement, SAR, and ice operations.

[5] On 29 July 1969, she towed the disabled fishing vessel Jet Stream to safety from Admiralty Inlet.

[3][6][7] This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft Index.