 The fourth "St. Mary's" was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 40) on 29 June 1944 by the California Shipbuilding Corporation, Wilmington, California; launched on 4 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Arthur S. Tode; acquired by the Navy on loan charter and delivered on 14 November 1944; and commissioned on 15 November 1944, Capt.Edward R. Glosten, USNR, in command.Assigned to Transport Squadron 17 (TransRon 17) following shakedown, "St. Mary's" departed Los Angeles on 1 January 1945; loaded bulldozers, airplane engines, bomb service trucks, and other equipment at San Diego; and, on the 4th, sailed for Manus, Admiralty Islands.