On 20 April 1942 "Sting" was delivered to the US Navy, commissioned as USS "Saturn" and classified AK-49 at Mobile, Alabama, commanded by Cmdr. Charles M. Furlow. On 3 May Furlow's Navy crew tried to take her to Charleston, South Carolina were stopped by the failure of her condensate pump, steering gear, anchor windlass, make up and main feed pumps, evaporators, fuel oil service pumps and turbine-driven exciter. She eventually left Mobile on 3 June but took until 14 June to reach Charleston, where she needed further repairs.