The United States Shipping Board (USSB) bought her that same year and renamed her East Indian.

[1] The USSB bought Beikoku Maru, renamed her East Indian, and registered her at San Francisco.

[2] Ford had East Indian re-engined with a pair of Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. four-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines.

[5] Later that year, East Indian left Calcutta for New York via Cape Town and Punta Arenas.

74 people were aboard: her Master, Captain Ovide Sainte-Marie; seven other officers; 39 enlisted men; 15 Armed Guards; and 12 passengers.

[5] At 16:22 hrs on 3 November 1942, East Indian was about 300 nautical miles (560 km) southwest of the Cape of Good Hope when U-181 hit her starboard side with two torpedoes.

[5] The officer told Keenan that the U-boat had sighted East Indian that morning, and had followed it for 100 nautical miles (190 km) before it was able to attack.

[5] 13 days later a ship found the lifeboat and rescued its occupants 135 nautical miles (250 km) south of Cape Town.

The sources may mean the British India Steam Navigation Company ship Durenda, which called at Cape Town on 17 November 1942.

[5] On 29 June 1943 newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Daily News and the Imperial Valley Press published a United Press report claiming that one of East Indian's rafts was found ashore near Maceió, Brazil.