Kiowa was laid down by the Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Company at Charleston, South Carolina, on 22 June 1942 and launched there on 5 November 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Hilda How Edwards. She was commissioned on 7 June 1943 as the fleet tug USS Kiowa (AT-72) with Lieutenant William O. Kuykendall in command.
Kiowa was laid down by the Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Company at Charleston, South Carolina, on 22 June 1942 and launched there on 5 November 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Hilda How Edwards. She was commissioned on 7 June 1943 as the fleet tug USS Kiowa (AT-72) with Lieutenant William O. Kuykendall in command.