Commissioning and 1944
Teton was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1363) as Water Witch on 9 November 1943 by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, North Carolina; launched on 5 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. C. E. Shimp; renamed Teton on 7 February 1944; acquired by the Navy on 18 October 1944; and commissioned the same day at Brooklyn, New York, with Captain Donald Rex Tallman in command.
Following shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay, the amphibious force flagship, escorted by USS Barr (APD-39), steamed south; transited the Panama Canal; proceeded, via the Mare Island Navy Yard, to Hawaii; and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 19 January 1945. Four days later, Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Commander, Amphibious Group 12, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, hoisted his flag as his staff came on board.
Read more about this topic: USS Teton (AGC-14)