 Naval vessel to bear the name.Originally laid down as "LST-802" on 2 September 1944 at Jeffersonville, Indiana by the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company; launched on 19 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Dolores Alberts; and commissioned on 13 November 1944 with Lieutenant K. G. Adams, USNR, in command.Following shakedown off Florida, LST-802 loaded quonset hut sections at Gulfport, Mississippi and departed New Orleans on 18 December.