Sassacus was laid down on 21 April 1942 by Ira S. Bushey and Son, Brooklyn, New York; launched on 31 July 1942; and delivered to the Navy and placed in service on 7 December 1942.
Assigned initially to the 3d Naval District and redesignated YTB-193 on 15 May 1944, Sassacus remained in the New York area until early 1945. Then reallocated to the 12th Naval District, she moved south; transited the Panama Canal; and assumed harbor tug duties in the San Francisco area. A year and a half later, however, she was ordered inactivated and was placed out of service, in reserve, on 26 November 1946. Redesignated YTM-193 in February 1962, she remained in reserve until transferred, on loan, to the government of Venezuela in January 1963, where she remained until 1974.