Leroy Grumman, the ninth ship of the Henry J. Kaiser class and first U.S. Navy ship to bear the name, was laid down at Avondale Shipyard, Inc., at New Orleans, Louisiana, on 6 July 1987 and launched on 3 December 1988. She entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under the control of the Military Sealift Command with a primarily civilian crew on 2 August 1989.
