Her keel was laid down on 22 April 1944 at Wilmington, California, by the Consolidated Steel Corporation under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1860).

Following shakedown training out of San Diego, California, and post-shakedown repairs at Terminal Island, the attack transport got underway for the southwestern Pacific on 17 January 1945.

She spent the period 21 to 27 March at anchor in Ulithi lagoon and, on the latter day, got underway in convoy bound for the Ryukyu Islands.

Burleson arrived at Jinsen, Korea, on 8 September and began disembarking troops assigned to military government units.

The attack transport reached Taku, China, on 30 September and spent the next five days disembarking troops and unloading cargo.

In December, she was assigned to the 14th Naval District temporarily to undergo modifications preparatory to her participation in Operation Crossroads, nuclear tests scheduled for the following summer at Bikini Atoll.

She continued to serve as a training ship at Little Creek until her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1968.