The cutter's sponsor is Linda Kapral Papp, the wife of Coast Guard Commandant Robert J. Papp Jr.[2] Construction began in September 2011 by Northrop Grumman's Ship System Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, with the keel was laid on 5 September 2012.

In January 2020 Hamilton became the first NSC to participate in a Navy Composite Training Unit Exercise, integrated with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and Carrier Strike Group 10.

After operating with the Carrier Strike Group, the cutter patrolled the Eastern Pacific Ocean in support of Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South.

[4] In May 2021 Hamilton patrolled the Black Sea for nearly three weeks, conducting training exercises with several NATO and friendly navies, including Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, and Georgia.

[8] The patrol was monitored by Russia whose foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the cutter's presence.