She was ordered by the United States Maritime Commission as MS Avoca however, while still under construction at St. Johns River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville, she was reassigned to the United States Navy under a loan charter and renamed Petaluma (AOG-69)[REF] .
Petaluma was launched on 5 May 1945,[REF] and was about 85% complete when,[REF] due to the end of World War II, the ship's U.S. Navy reassignment was canceled on 26 August 1945 [REF].