Liberty ship SS "Edward Preble" was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 772) on 19 October 1942 at South Portland, Maine, by the New England Shipbuilding Corporation; launched on 2 February 1943; sponsored by Miss Beverly Brown; renamed "Volans" and designated AKS-9 on 13 November 1943; and acquired by the Navy on 2 December 1943. Taken to the Tampa Bay Shipbuilding Co., Inc., "Volans" was converted for naval service at that yard, the work lasting into the following year. On 31 March 1944, "Volans" (AKS-9) was commissioned at Tampa, Florida, Comdr. Sherman R. Perie, USNR, in command.