Her keel was laid down by Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company of Evansville, Indiana.

On 15 October she reported for service as barracks ship at Wakayama and at Kobe from 11 February 1946 to 4 March.

Dorchester remained in the reserve fleet until she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1973.

By 2002, she was owned by Trident Seafoods of Seattle, Washington, and was operating under the name Alaska Packer.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.