Her keel was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (T. B7 D1, MC hull 1326) on 9 July 1943 at San Francisco, California, by Barrett and Hilp, Belair Shipyard.

Assigned to the Service Force, Pacific Fleet, as a floating storage facility for general naval stores and provisions, Bauxite served at advanced naval bases in the Pacific theater, issuing supplies to ships as needed.

The barges provided much needed storage space afloat and released a number of self-propelled cargo ships to carry supplies to the forward areas.

Following the war, Bauxite was towed to Shanghai, China, where she continued to serve as a stores barge until authorized for disposal.

She was sold at Shanghai to a Chinese purchaser in May 1947, and her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 June 1947.