She served as US Navy auxiliary, IX 65 in World War II and as a postwar research vessel made famous by a Stan Rogers song.

Blue Dolphin spent the next 38 months serving as station vessel at Casco Bay, Maine.

Her name was struck from the Navy list on 11 July 1945, and she was delivered to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration for disposal on 14 September 1945.

Journalist and photographer Bruce Kemp became interested in the restoration when he was assigned the story by Sailing Canada Magazine.

Because of his affiliation with another magazine at the time, he wrote the final piece under the name of Howard Douglas Jr. Kemp and his wife Donna worked with Pica in trying to set up a foundation, have debts forgiven and to make the ship an ambassador for the city of Sarnia.

Rogers commemorated the schooner with his song, "Man with Blue Dolphin", part of his From Fresh Water album.

Unfortunately, a few weeks after writing the song "Man with Blue Dolphin" Rogers died in an airplane fire near Cincinnati.

When money problems began to plague the ship again, Pica hired a tug to tow the Blue Dolphin over the border into the United States and away from his creditors.

On that same trip, Tod was also able to locate Joe Pica, who is living in his antiquated printing shop in downtown Detroit.

[4] On 9 October 2018, Jim Rasor photographed the sunken wreck of the Blue Dolphin in the canal beside the Goat Yard.