Originally commissioned by the United States Navy as USNS Tanner (T-AGS-40), the ship assumed her present name and role in June 1997.

[2] USNS Tanner (T-AGS-40), was built for the United States Navy as a fast oceanographic research vessel by Bethlehem Steel Corporation at its Sparrows Point Yard in Maryland in 1990.

The vessel experienced catastrophic engine failure in 1993 and was laid up by the Navy and eventually transferred ownership to the Maritime Administration (MARAD).

The ship lay idle in the James River Reserve Fleet until 1996 when she began a conversion process, which removed her underwater sonar domes and equipment.

She was observed in the dry dock at South Boston MA undergoing repairs during the first week of July 2022 before she returned to service in November of 2022.