The ship was ordered as the U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-271 on 25 January 1942 and assigned the name USS Fleming, the first ship of the name, on 23 February 1943. She was laid down by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 7 April 1943 and launched on 19 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Michael E. Fleming. The United States transferred the ship to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 13 June or 13 July 1943 (sources vary) while she was still under construction.