Laid down as part of the Navy's 1940 fiscal program, they were each designed to carry a battalion of the Marine Expeditionary Force which was maintained on both coasts of the United States in peacetime.

The Doyen-class ships, at only 414 feet in length and with a displacement of 4,351 tons, were considerably smaller than most other classes of attack transport.

The main deck was cut away at quarterdeck level and fitted with a special ramp aft for the launching of landing craft or the offloading of tanks and other heavy equipment.

Doyen, however, saw additional action at Kiska in the Aleutians and at Kwajalein and earned six battle stars to Feland's five.

Feland was eventually scrapped in 1964, but in 1959 Doyen received a new lease of life as TS Bay State, a training ship with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.