 She was acquired by the Navy on 30 June 1944 through the Maritime Commission and was placed in service that same day.Assigned to the Service Force, Pacific Fleet, as a floating provisions storage facility, she spent her brief career at forward bases, for the most part at Saipan, as a unit of Service Squadron 10.When a storm struck the anchorage at Saipan on 6 October 1944, "Asphalt"s anchor chains parted, and she was driven hard aground on a coral reef.