USS Aries was homeported in Key West for most of her 11 years of service. She conducted law enforcement operations against smugglers in cooperation with the Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of Central America. She took part in various fleet exercises including the "Ocean Venture" and "Solid Shield" series. She also participated in a number of UNITAS exercises with Central and South American Navies. She and the other five ships of the class were decommissioned in 1993 with the downsizing of the U.S. Navy fleet.