Vital was laid down as AM-474 on 31 October 1952 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by the Burger Boat Company; launched on 12 August 1953; sponsored by Mrs. Edwina Smith; redesignated MSO-474 on 7 February 1955; and commissioned on 9 June 1955 at the Boston Naval Shipyard.

In addition to normal 6th Fleet operations and Mediterranean port visits, she participated in a special NATO minesweeping exercise conducted in the North Sea during September and October.

In March 1957, she moved to the Gulf of Mexico for a three-month training period at the conclusion of which she returned to Charleston and resumed normal duty.

Following 14 months of normal operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Vital headed south for a four-month assignment in the West Indies which she concluded at Panama City, Florida on 9 February 1964.

The ship was sold for scrap on 21 July 1979 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation of New York City for $25,250.