The ship was ordered on 25 January 1942 and laid down by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 5 June 1943 as the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Tisdale (DE-273), the first ship of the name. She was launched on 17 July 1943. The United States transferred the ship to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 19 October 1943.