The ship, originally designated a "patrol gunboat," PG-184, was ordered by the United States Maritime Commission under a United States Navy contract as USS Halsted. She was reclassified as a "patrol frigate," PF-76, on 15 April 1943 and laid down by the Walsh-Kaiser Company at Providence, Rhode Island, on 11 May 1943. Intended for transfer to the United Kingdom, the ship was renamed Barbados by the British prior to launching and was launched on 27 August 1943, sponsored by Miss Anna M. Pacheco.