She was commissioned White Sumac (WAGL-540) on 19 September 1947 at Charleston, South Carolina, and was assigned to the 7th Coast Guard District.

She had the unhappy duty of acting as a working platform for divers during the salvage of the USCGC Blackthorn, which had collided with a tanker in Tampa Bay in January 1980.

In November, 1980, she undertook a 10-day operation to recover a Coast Guard helicopter that had crashed and sunk 130 miles southwest of St. Petersburg.

She was awarded a Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for her preparation for and execution of Operation Realignment, an aids to navigation project in the Gulfport Ship Channel from October to December, 1993.

From 18 to 30 July 1997 she assisted after Hurricane Danny hit Florida for which she was awarded the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation.

Coordinating with the Army Corps of Engineers and Pilots’ Associations, White Sumac safely realigned six waterways during dredging Operations.

In 1998, she left Florida and sailed to her final homeport in New Orleans, Louisiana, to relieve the decommissioning White Holly.

On 29 November 2010, she conducted a training exercise together with USCGC Kodiak Island, Almirante Didiez Burgos and Orión off the coast of Catuano, Dominican Republic.