The Corry was named in honor of Lieutenant Commander William Merrill Corry, a U.S. Navy aviator who served with distinction in France during the First World War. He gave his life in an effort to rescue a companion from the burning wreckage of a crashed plane.

The ship, built by Consolidated Steel Corporation Ltd. at Orange Texas, was launched July 28 1945, and commissioned in 1946. This was the third ship named in honor of Lt Cmdr Corry.

Commander Martin A. Shellabarger was the Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Corry when it launched in 1945.

The U.S.S. Corry was called to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, was deployed to Haiti for humanitarian support, and later sailed to Vietnam to support troops on the ground.