She spent her first thirty-three years of service homeported in Juneau, Alaska, where she patrolled territorial waters, including the Inside Passage.

In 2016, she won the Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award for outstanding operational and humanitarian achievements.

[2] The Island-class patrol boats, including Liberty, were constructed in Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana.

Their design is based on the British Vosper Thornycroft 33 metres (108 ft) patrol boats and have similar dimensions.

Liberty is a B-class ship and thus has heavier bow plating to prevent hull cracking in heavy seas, among other enhancements.

[4] Stern flaps were retrofitted to reduce hull friction and increase speed and fuel efficiency.

[7] Her primary missions are law enforcement, fisheries management, search and rescue, and oil spill response.

[12] A 1990 agreement between the two countries reduced fishing conflicts and Liberty's seizures of Canadian boats when it became effective in 1992.

For example, in September 2001, Liberty rescued five crewmen from the fishing vessel Baranof Queen, which had been disabled off Cape Spencer.

At approximately 12:35 AM on May 15, 2007, the sternwheel cruise ship Empress of the North went aground on Hanus Reef at the eastern entrance of Icy Strait.

The grounded ship was able to refloat and make its way to Auke Bay under its own power, escorted by Liberty.

When the high tide refloated the cruise liner, Liberty escorted her to port in case further assistance was required.

[24] In 2016, she won the Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award for outstanding operational & humanitarian achievements.

Senator in April 2018, the commandant of the Coast Guard indicated that the service planned to replace Liberty with a coastal patrol boat rather than a fast response cutter.