The SC-497 was the first of the namesake class of 438 submarine chasers built primarily for the US Navy. The class originated from orders by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 to develop a wooden-hulled sub-chaser in an effort to counter the German U-boat raids off the east coast of the US, hoping that such vessels could be quickly built in sufficient numbers by smaller shipyards. SC-497 was laid down on 7 March 1941 at Westergard Boat Works in Rockport, Texas, and launched on 4 July that year. She would serve uneventfully until 18 March 1944, when she was transferred to the French Navy, who renamed her CH-96. She remained in France after the war and was not decommissioned until 23 October 1980, after which her final fate is unknown.

The SC-497 was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm". At first glance, she appears to be a downgrade over her predecessor, the PC-451, mainly due to her significantly weaker wooden hull and half the crew count. However, she makes up for it by sporting a Bofors autocannon at the bow as well as being considerably more agile. The Bofors is more than capable of taking out any PT boats that she could face, and even some armoured boats can be dealt with using AP belts. Still, the SC-497 is still quite large and relatively slow compared to the PT boats, leaving it vulnerable to incoming fire.