 "Pontotoc" was laid down for the US Maritime Commission (MARCOM), MC hull 2160, by Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, 15 January 1944; classified AK-206 on 25 February 1944; launched 2 July 1944; acquired from MARCOM on a loan-charter basis 28 February 1945; reclassified AG–94 on 12 March 1945; and commissioned 22 March 1945, Lieutenant Commander Charles W. Lockard in command.After shakedown, "Pontotoc" transited the Panama Canal and arrived Pearl Harbor 18 April 1945.Reclassified as "Gwinnett"-class aviation stores issue ship AVS-7 effective 25 May, "Pontotoc" steamed for the Philippine Islands, reporting for duty 8 July at Guiuan, Samar, Philippine Islands.