USS Nassau (CVE-16) was laid down 27 November 1941 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Tacoma, Washington, as M.C. Hull No. 234; launched 4 April 1942; sponsored by Mrs. G. H. Hasselman, Tongue Point, Oregon; acquired by the Navy 1 May, towed to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, and converted to an escort carrier; and commissioned 20 August, Captain Austin K. Doyle in command.

Austin Kelvin Doyle was an American naval officer, admiral, chief of United States Taiwan Defense Command and Naval Air Training Command. During World War II, he served as United States Navy captain of the escort carrier USS Nassau and the fleet carrier USS Hornet, earning the Navy Cross twice. After serving in the US Navy for forty years, Doyle retired in 1958. He also served as a rear admiral.