 Her keel was laid down 27 September 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull No.1901, as the Type T1 tanker "David Rittenhouse", by California Shipbuilding Corporation, Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California; launched on 29 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Victor Dalton; renamed "Beagle" and designated IX-111 on 27 October 1943; delivered to the Navy 20 November 1943, and commissioned the same day, Lieutenant Robert E. Rew, Jr., USNR, in command.Following shakedown early in 1944, the tanker moved to the western Pacific.