[7][8] Two hundred and ten feet long, she had a four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine and could make 14 knots.

[2][4][6] She ran many different routes for the Steamship Authority over her decades of service for southeastern Massachusetts, mainly for the Cape and Islands but also including New Bedford.

"[2] In 2006 one reporter wrote that "She embodied style, grace and modern technology, and was an immediate hit with the Islanders she served," and that she was "beloved" by many during her years of service.

"[10] One story often told from her service years was when, in February 1961, Nantucket island was iced in and no ferries were able to make the trip.

The Nobska ended her service in 1973, taking her last trip for the Steamship Authority on September 18 of that year,[11] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.