Her namesake was a small Indian tribe which originally inhabited an area near the present site of Durham, North Carolina.

The engines produced a total of 3,600 shaft horsepower (2,700 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).

They carried a maximum of 10 tonnes (10 long tons) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).

[2] Since then, the major portion of Shakori's long naval career has been spent in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Caribbean Sea.

In October and November 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis, she assisted in the evacuation of dependents from Guantanamo Bay by transporting clothes to the evacuees on the high seas.

In 1966, the tug circumnavigated the globe, completing the Navy's second-longest tow, 11,000 miles, en route.