On 23 December 1942, "Oglala" was sea worthy. She sailed via Mare Island for the shipyard at Terminal Island Naval Dry Docks and was moved into the shipyard itself on 1 March 1943. Reconstruction plans finalized at Mare Island meant that her days as a minelayer came to a close. Her refitting included a complete conversion into an engine repair ship. On 15 June 1943, "Oglala" was reclassified to an internal combustion engine repair ship ARG-1. While she was undergoing conversion, "Oglala" remained assigned to Mine Squadron (MinRon) 1 in the Service Squadron (ServRon) within the Pacific Fleet. In November, she received word that her assignment would be shifted to the Seventh Fleet when she completed converting.