Neosho-class oilers were built in the 1950s by two shipyards, Bethlehem's Fore River Shipyard and New York Shipbuilding Corporation.

The lead ship, Neosho, entered service in 1954.

Her sister ships were commissioned in the following years.

In the mid-1970s, the Military Sealift Command took over the vessels, and they were redesignated from USS to USNS.

The Neosho and Mispillion-class oilers were replaced by the Henry J. Kaiser class, with its lead ship, USS Henry J. Kaiser, entering service in 1986.