 Launched on 23 May 1942, sponsored by Mrs. J.P. Conley, and commissioned on 21 October 1942, Commander Albert F. Block, USNR, in command.Following commissioning, "Seer" proceeded from the Great Lakes to Chesapeake Bay for shakedown; then commenced minesweeping, anti-submarine patrol, and coastal escort work in the 5th Naval District.In April 1943, her division, Mine Division (MinDiv) 16, joined Task Force 68 at Tompkinsville, New York; whence, on the 5th, she got underway to escort a convoy to North Africa.