Boggs was launched on 25 April 1918 by Mare Island Navy Yard, sponsored by Miss Ruth Hascal.

Boggs departed San Diego in March 1919 for a six-month cruise along the United States East Coast, in the North Atlantic, and in the Caribbean Sea.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 found Boggs at sea, but she returned later in the day to sweep the approaches and anchorage.

She served as a target towing vessel with the Operational Training Command out of San Diego (12 April 1944 – March 1945).

Fitted for high-speed target towing, Boggs arrived at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands, via Pearl Harbor, on 15 August 1945.