She was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation of Wilmington, California, under a Maritime Commission contract (MC Type T. S2-S2-AQ1) on 6 May 1943.

[4] Coronado sailed from San Diego, California, on 8 February 1944, for convoy escort duty to Nouméa, New Caledonia, and Cairns, Australia, en route to New Guinea, arriving there on 25 March.

She was moored at the Lake Union Lumber Company Pier there from 30 April to 16 May 1945, undergoing voyage repairs and further alterations by Pacific Electric contractors.

Ogden had to return to Seattle for repairs, but Coronado and the other four frigates arrived at Womens Bay, Kodiak, on 11 June 1945.

Soviet crewmen conducted gunnery practice that day, and the Americans aboard demonstrated fueling, towing at sea, and use of her sonar equipment on 29 June 1945.

On 15 July 1945, EK-8 departed Cold Bay in company with her nine sister ships – EK-1 (ex-Charlottesville), EK-2 (ex-Long Beach), EK-3 (ex-Belfast), EK-4 (ex-Machias), EK-5 (ex-San Pedro), EK-6 (ex-Glendale), EK-7 (ex-Sandusky), EK-9 (ex-Allentown), and EK-10 (ex-Ogden) – bound for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Soviet Union.

Returning to her original name, Coronado was placed in reserve at Yokosuka until 14 January 1953, when she became one of the first ships the United States loaned to Japan under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program to serve in the Japanese Safety Security Force as Sugi (PF-5) (すぎ (PF-5), "cedar").

[10] She simultaneously was assigned to the 2nd Fleet, which was created that day, along with her sister ship Matsu (ex-USS Charlottesville (PF-25), similarly lent to Japan.