While on a south patrol in 1989, Spencer rescued and repatriated 538 Haitian migrants bound for the United States, and later seized a Panamanian freighter laden with 438 kilograms of cocaine.

Spencer was on-scene command for patrol boats recovering survivors and dead from the February 1993 sinking of the ferry Neptune[2] in the Gulf of Gonave.

In early 1996, Spencer responded to the Alas Nacionales plane crash off the coastal waters of the Dominican Republic in which 188 people lost their lives.

In 1999, Spencer was the on-scene command vessel for the EgyptAir Flight 990 crash off Nantucket, controlling both U.S. Navy and Coast Guard assets in the search and recovery efforts.

It is intended to increase the cutter's lifetime by up to ten years by replacing her obsolete equipment and by generally making her easier to maintain.