 On 2 February 1942 the ship was delivered to the War Shipping Administration, allocated to the United States Army and operated by Burns and Alaska Steamship Company under an Army charter agreement.On 9 June 1943 "Lurline Burns" was purchased by the U.S. Navy and commissioned on 22 September 1943 as the miscellaneous auxiliary USS "Besboro" (AG-66) assigned to duties transporting cargo and troops between Seattle and Alaska.