Her namesake was a tribe of Indians of the Salishan language group, who lived in the area that is now central Washington state, principally around Lake Chelan.

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

[2] Wenatchee conducted her shakedown training in the San Pedro-San Diego-San Francisco area, before departing the west coast on 15 May, bound for the Hawaiian Islands.

Reaching Pearl Harbor on 3 March, Wenatchee stayed there for over a month before she sailed for Bikini Atoll on 13 April to take part in Operation Crossroads.

After transiting the Panama Canal in mid-December and reporting for duty with Service Force, Atlantic Fleet, Wenatchee reached New Orleans on 21 January 1947.