"Mindanao" was laid down 11 April 1943, as the liberty ship SS "Elbert Hubbard", under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 983, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Inc., in Baltimore, Maryland; launched 13 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. C. R. Spalding; acquired by the Navy on 20 May 1943; and commissioned as "Mindanao" on 6 November 1943, with Commander George B. Evans in command.After shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, "Mindanao" joined Task Group 29.7 (TG 29.7) on 20 December 1943, and sailed for Cuba, the Panama Canal, and Nouméa, New Caledonia, arriving 27 January 1944, to report for duty with Service Squadron South Pacific.