Arided was laid down under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract as liberty ship SS Noah H. Swayne, MC hull 500, 20 September 1942 at Richmond, California, by the Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No.

From January to July 1943, Arided carried cargoes of ammunition and gasoline from Auckland, New Zealand, and Nouméa, New Caledonia, to various points in the Solomon and Russell Islands.

[4] In August 1943, the cargo vessel sailed to Port Chalmers, New Zealand, for a brief period of drydocking and repair work.

[4] Arided sailed to Espiritu Santo in April 1945 and took on supplies and equipment earmarked to help troops struggling for control of bitterly contested Okinawa.

After making stops en route at Eniwetok and Ulithi, Arided arrived at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on 18 August, three days after learning that Japan had capitulated.