White Sage was originally homeported in Bristol, Rhode Island, where she primarily serviced aids to navigation in the First Coast Guard District.

On 29 January 1959, White Sage was requested to clear a passage through the ice to East Greenwich Cove, Rhode Island.

Sage assisted a disabled tug, M. Moran, two miles east of Cape Cod Canal on March 4, 1960.

In 1971, White Sage underwent a major renovation at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland.

Air conditioning for the crew's berthing area was requested by the commander of the First District in a 1971 memo, was later approved in 1976.

White Sage was crucial in keeping open shipping lanes on Narragansett Bay during severe ice conditions during the winter of 1993–1994, ensuring delivery of heating oil to homes in the affected area.

White Sage participated as a Command and Control platform in many marine events including the America's Cup regattas.

In addition to serving as a platform to provide support for the small patrol craft, she maintained the security zone for the race course.

White Sage played an important role in pollution response, assisting in the 1996 North Cape oil spill cleanup off Point Judith.

White Sage had a heavy-duty A-frame boom, which replaced the original single mast, used to handle buoys and anchors.

The superstructure consisted of a single-deck-height house surmounted by a raised pilothouse, and commander's stateroom forward.

Hoses for dewatering pumps were contained in plastic tubing mounted on the centerline above the engine room skylights.

White Sage transported freight and vehicles to Coast Guard units in the islands of Nantucket and Cuttyhunk, as well as serviced the lights in Buzzards Bay.