"Robert A. Owens" was laid down on 29 October 1945 by the Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched on 15 July 1946; sponsored by Miss Patricia Hannegan; reclassified DDK-827 on 28 January 1948; and commissioned at Boston on 5 November 1949, Commander Rexford V. Wheeler, Jr., in command.She was named for United States Marine Corps Sergeant Robert A. Owens (1920–1943), who was awarded both the Navy Cross and Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay.