She was built at Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead, on the banks of the river Mersey (she was to later to be based across the river in Gladstone Dock, Bootle). She was launched on 13 October 1942 and commissioned on 1 March 1943. She took part in the sinking of five U-boats together with several sister ships: U-344 was sunk the next day by depth charges from a single Swordfish plane, piloted by Gordon Bennett, from Vindex.