 The ship was laid down at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan, on 17 August 1943, and launched on 4 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Louisa Osmus, mother of Ensign Osmus; and commissioned on 23 February 1944, with Commander Richmond R. Jackson in command.Following shakedown off Bermuda, "Osmus" departed the east coast, transited the Panama Canal, and sailed into the Pacific.She arrived at Espiritu Santo on 1 June; and after availability and further training, undertook her first escort mission, to Guadalcanal, on 13 June.