A typical ESB crew includes 44 military sealift command personnel and 101 military, with accommodations for up to 250.
The Puller's military crew operates on a rotational model, and Blue and Gold Crews alternate on and off hull every five months. This allows the vessel to stay deployed and operate in hazardous areas for longer periods.
The Puller has been a part of numerous operations around the Arabian Sea.
In December 2022, naval forces aboard the Puller seized ammunition rounds, fuses, and propellants for rockets after it intercepted a fishing trawler in the Gulf of Oman.
The trawler, which was on a maritime route from Iran to Yemen, was illegally smuggling more than 50 tons of weapons to the Houthis, including more than 1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, nearly 7,000 proximity fuses for rockets, and over 2,100 kilograms of propellant used to launch rocket-propelled grenades.
The Puller was also involved in a counter-narcotics mission in January 2022, recovering $14.7 million in illicit drugs and saving injured mariners in the Gulf of Oman.