Following shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay, Oconee, manned by a U.S. Coast Guard crew, sailed to Bermuda and Aruba before transiting the Panama Canal 15 March 1945.

Stopping briefly at San Diego, California, the gasoline tanker proceeded to Pearl Harbor, arriving there 4 May.

From mid-June to the end of July she serviced all sizes of ships and craft in the huge anchorage then steamed to Okinawa with her vital cargo.

On 12 November Oconee sailed for San Francisco, California, stopping at Pearl Harbor before arriving on 28 December.

Oconee's crew was eligible for the following medals: This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.