 The completed ship was then commissioned USS "Bayfield" (APA-33) on 20 November 1943 with Captain Lyndon Spencer, USCG, in command.Following a shakedown cruise in Chesapeake Bay and subsequent repairs at Norfolk Navy Yard, she conducted amphibious training in January 1944, underwent additional repair, and was declared ready for sea on 3 February.She received orders to New York to embark troops for service in Europe.