Accepted by the Navy on 17 February 1942, the ship, designated as a district patrol vessel, YP-284, began undergoing conversion at the Campbell Machine Company.

The former purse seiner arrived at Pearl Harbor at a momentous time, for Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, apprised of an impending Japanese operation targeting Midway, was taking steps to meet the enemy.

The Battle of Midway occurred between 4 and 7 June, and resulted in the destruction of four of the Imperial Japanese Navy's carriers, all of its embarked air units, and a large percentage of trained maintenance people.

YP-284 and her near-sisterships, meanwhile, patrolled their assigned areas and stood ready to assist downed aircraft, and eventually returned to Pearl, with YP-284 clearing Lisianski on 10 June.

Transferred to the South Pacific Force on 23 July 1942, YP-284 sailed for Guadalcanal on 29 August 1942 in company with YP-239 and YP-346, with the destroyer Helm (DD-388) escorting the converted tuna clippers.

On 25 October 1942, the fleet tug Seminole (AT-65) departed Tulagi for Guadalcanal at 0510 with 500 drums of aviation gasoline on board, as well as four 75-millimeter howitzers and associated equipment, a portable derrick, and 75 marines under Capt.

William E. Boney, USMCR – who had only transferred from Battery H of the battalion six days earlier – on board as well as 28 drums of aviation gasoline, and 3,600 rounds of 75-millimeter ammunition.

A little over a half-hour later, however, at 1015, on board YP-284, WO Rasmussen received orders from Naval Operating Base (NOB) Cactus [Guadalcanal], to return to Tulagi with her passengers and cargo.

WO Rasmussen immediately radioed Tulagi, inquiring “if vessels were friendly.” Receiving a “negative,” the district patrol vessel also sighted the high-speed minesweepers Trever (DMS-16) and Zane (DMS-14) – misidentifying them as “destroyers” (an understandable error, however, given their having been destroyers prior to their conversion) – clearing Tulagi, standing to the east.

Soon thereafter, the Japanese shifted their full attention to Seminole, the majority of their shells passing through the vessel without exploding, others setting fire to her cargo, burning gasoline flowing down through the perforated decks.