LeBaron Russell Briggs was laid down on 29 March 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2301, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. George R. Smith, daughter of James Addison Jones, and launched on 12 May 1944.^[3][1]

She was allocated to R.A. Nichol & Company, on 31 May 1944. On 5 March 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina. On 26 September 1957, she was relocated to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the Hudson River Group. On 8 December 1961, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1961". She returned loaded with grain to the fleet on 22 December 1961. On 17 June 1963, she was withdrawn from the fleet to have the grain unloaded, she returned empty on 22 June 1963. On 30 July 1970, she was turned over to the US Navy for use in Operation CHASE (Chase 10). On 18 August 1970, she was loaded with 418 steel jacketed concrete vaults, which encased 12,540 US Army M55 rockets containing Sarin nerve gas, and one container of VX gas, and towed out 282 mi (245 nmi; 454 km) east of Cape Kennedy, Florida, where she was scuttled in 16,000 ft (4,900 m) of water.^[4][5][6]