Auk was named after the auk, a diving bird native to the colder climates of the northern hemisphere. The second warship of the U.S. Navy to be named Auk, the ship was laid down on 15 April 1941 at Portsmouth, Virginia, by the Norfolk Navy Yard; launched on 26 August; sponsored by Miss Priscilla Alden Hague, the daughter of Comdr. Wesley M. Hague; and commissioned on 15 January 1942, Lt. Comdr. George W. Allen in command.