USS St. Francis River (LSM(R)-525) was laid down on 19 May 1945 by the Brown Shipbuilding Company in Houston, Texas.

After her shakedown, LSM(R)-525 was ordered to be inactivated, and reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet on 25 October 1945.

LSM(R)-525 entered the Korean combat zone on 17 July 1951, firing rockets at enemy positions at Wonsan.

Rearmed regularly at Cam Rahn Bay and overhauled periodically at Yokosuka, St. Francis River provided rocket fire in support of Allied forces in South Vietnam from 1966 through 1969.

During that period, her ability to coordinate her operations with the tactical situation ashore resulted in an impressive number of successful support missions.