USS LST-629 originally was a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship built during World War II and in commission from 1944 to 1946 and again in the late 1952.

[2][3] During World War II, LST-629 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign and participated in Invasion of Lingayen Gulf from 8 to 18 January 1945.

[5] Excellence, along with four other ex-US Navy LSTs sold to Singapore by the US at around the same period of time, served as part of the RSN's 191 Squadron of the 3rd Flotilla, with its main roles being transporting Singapore Army troops and personnel to training facilities abroad (in foreign countries such as Taiwan), rescue-and-aid operations, supply missions as well as for officer-cadet training programmes conducted overseas.

In 1999, Excellence, along with RSS Intrepid, was deployed to Timor Leste to provide logistic support to the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping operations.

[7] All four ex-US Navy LSTs are employed as floating sea-defense barricades for Changi Naval Base.