"LST-32" was laid down on 17 February 1943, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by the Dravo Corporation; launched on 22 May 1943; sponsored by Miss Dorothy M. Manko; and commissioned on 12 July 1943, with Lieutenant Gardnar P. Mulloy, USNR, in command.After commissioning, "LST-32" served as a training platform in Chesapeake Bay, until March 1944, when she crossed the Atlantic Ocean and entered the Mediterranean Sea.