 Originally classified as a "coastal minesweeper," AMc-133, "Captivate" was reclassified as a "minesweeper," AM-156, on 21 February 1942.She was launched on 1 December 1942 at Portland, Oregon, by Willamette Iron and Steel Works and commissioned on 30 December 1943 with Lieutenant B. J. Kocel USNR, in command.Reporting to the United States Pacific Fleet for assignment, "Captivate" stood out of San Francisco, California, on 11 March 1944 bound for Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, and Majuro in the Marshall Islands.