She was built by Ernst Wright, Tuncurry, New South Wales and launched in 1936 for the North Coast Steam Navigation Company as the TSS Nambucca.[1] Nambucca was requisitioned by the RAN on 7 November 1939 and converted to an auxiliary minesweeper, and commissioned on 10 January 1940 as HMAS Nambucca (NB). She formed part of Minesweeping Group 50 based in Sydney, undertaking minesweeping activities around Wilsons Promontory and Cape Otway. She was transferred to the USN on 19 April 1943.
After conversion to a degaussing vessel by Evans Deakin & Company, Brisbane, she was commissioned on 31 July 1944 as USS YDG-5. She was inspected at Okinawa by in November 1945 and declared unseaworthy and declared a total loss on 30 December 1945. She was decommissioned on 7 February 1946 and was destroyed by fire on 8 February.